Each time a significant honors show draws close, one notices a demand for introducing of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types successfully include many game types, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked in any category in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among most popular titles globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience competes with popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and engaging across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. One could readily select five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
