As any prominent awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry for the addition of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the hearts of followers dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. So would board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial above others. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated in any category in 2014
- A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
- Popular arranging title was overlooked that year
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games globally and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles claiming status as most purchased experience; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification at major gaming awards. Logic title developers function at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Comparable to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
