As any major awards ceremony approaches, you'll find a demand for the addition fresh award types to recognize unsung work and delight the spirits of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent above others. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. But it is an essential concession in the world of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games scraped into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent modest productions, but the art of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these represent titles that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
