Whenever a significant awards ceremony draws close, you'll find a demand for the addition of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and delight the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications actually cover many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: the architectural riddles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, but the art of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
