As any significant honors show nears, there’s always a clamor for the addition fresh award types to recognize unsung work and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. The same goes for strategy board titles, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent above others. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise within the realm of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories successfully include many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly that have no home during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games worldwide and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
