Whenever a prominent honors show nears, you'll find a clamor for the addition of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and fill the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would tabletop games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few brain-teasers barely qualified for niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, while interacting across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these represent titles that otherwise have no home in important events. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
