As any significant prize-giving event nears, there’s always a clamor for the addition additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial and significant. The demand is this: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games globally and have been for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience competes with popular creative games for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks 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 five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay decades.
