Whenever a major honors show nears, there’s always a clamor for introducing fresh award types to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal is the most urgent and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers launched regularly that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience competes with popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
