Each time a prominent honors show approaches, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and fill the spirits of followers who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for board games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise within the realm of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely that year
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent compact experiences, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles globally and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge game development, creating some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.
