Each time a significant prize-giving event approaches, one notices a clamor for introducing of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front just as with other blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Just some puzzle games scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often compact experiences, but the art of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge game development, developing some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.
