Each time a prominent prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a clamor for the addition fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and fill the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent above others. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass numerous genres, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Think about these recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition for anything that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. You could fill five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier game development, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
