As any major awards ceremony approaches, there’s always a clamor for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and delight the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated in any category that year
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- Popular arranging title was overlooked in 2021
- Only a few logic titles managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these represent titles without proper classification in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge game development, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.
