As any prominent awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would strategy board titles, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand is the most urgent above others. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated in any category that year
- Another creative title missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait generations.
