As any significant honors show nears, you'll find a clamor to include fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the hearts of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. But it is an unavoidable compromise in the world of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover many game types, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything that year
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- Popular arranging title got ignored recently
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles claiming status as most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier game development, creating some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
