As any major prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a clamor to include of new categories to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case supporting my request stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- A different innovative game missed out in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these are games without proper classification in important events. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge game development, creating some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.