Each time a major honors show approaches, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. So would strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request stands as crucial above others. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. But it is an essential concession for the industry of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories actually cover many game types, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked in any category during that awards season
- Another imaginative release was excluded during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles rank among the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.
