Whenever a major honors show nears, you'll find a demand for introducing additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of followers who have specialized interests.
Another commentator has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request stands as crucial and significant. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories actually cover many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition completely during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as the most-played games worldwide and have been for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience competes with popular creative games claiming status as most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these include experiences that otherwise have no home in important events. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.
