Whenever a significant awards ceremony approaches, you'll find an outcry to include additional classifications to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans with niche passions.
Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand stands as crucial above others. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
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 steer clear of genre categories. But it is an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types effectively encompass a lot of ground, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most popular titles in the world and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these are games without proper classification in important events. Brain-teaser creators operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Just like movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
