As any significant honors show nears, there’s always an outcry for the addition fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles barely qualified for niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often modest productions, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience competes with well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay decades.
