Each time a prominent honors show approaches, one notices a demand for the addition fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass many game types, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, but the art behind logic titles is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these include experiences without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge game development, developing some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
