Each time a major honors show approaches, one notices a demand for the addition additional classifications to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and delight the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications actually cover many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
Restating the point, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait generations.
