Whenever a significant honors show nears, there’s always an outcry for introducing of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely that year
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored that year
- Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often modest productions, but the art of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games globally and have been for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
