Each time a major honors show nears, one notices a clamor for introducing of new categories to honor unsung work and fill the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. So would board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely that year
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
