As any significant prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a clamor to include fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and fill the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would board games, representing someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial above others. Here's the proposal: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is an essential concession in the world of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title missed out that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, while interacting across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
