Each time a major honors show nears, there’s always an outcry for introducing fresh award types to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front just as with other blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: 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 start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of video games, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments 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 genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Which classification works between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored in 2021
- Only a few logic titles scraped into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences in the world and have been for many years.
The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. One could readily select five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
