As any significant awards ceremony nears, one notices a clamor for the addition fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would board games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, however the design in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among most engaged experiences in the world and have been for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators operate at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.
