As any significant awards ceremony approaches, you'll find a clamor for the addition fresh award types to recognize unsung work and delight the spirits of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title was overlooked in 2021
- Limited numbers of logic titles scraped into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge game development, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
