Each time a prominent honors show draws close, one notices a clamor for the addition of new categories to honor unsung work and fill the hearts of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. The same goes for board games, representing someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
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, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications actually cover many game types, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Only a few logic titles scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles globally continuing this trend for many years.
The famous puzzle experience challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these include experiences that otherwise have no home in important events. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge game development, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
