Each time a prominent awards ceremony draws close, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and delight the hearts of fans with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game missed out during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment recently
- Only a few puzzle games scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games claiming status as most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
