Each time a major awards ceremony draws close, one notices an outcry to include fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely that year
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers function at the challenging frontier game development, creating some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
