Each time a significant awards ceremony draws close, one notices a demand for the addition of new categories to recognize unsung work and fill the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. So would board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request stands as crucial and significant. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Think about these this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything that year
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Just some puzzle games scraped into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles globally continuing this trend for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
