Each time a significant prize-giving event nears, one notices a clamor for introducing of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and delight the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, which is a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing above others. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some logic titles scraped into independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.
