Each time a major prize-giving event draws close, one notices an outcry to include fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and delight the spirits of followers with niche passions.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types actually cover many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier interactive creation, producing among essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
