As any major honors show draws close, one notices an outcry to include of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types actually cover many game types, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers published annually lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment recently
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
