As any major awards ceremony nears, one notices a clamor for introducing additional classifications to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. But it is an essential concession in the world of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass a lot of ground, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences globally and have been for many years.
The famous puzzle experience competes with popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
