Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, there’s always a demand for the addition of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are board games, representing someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and typically generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. But it is an essential concession in the world of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked in any category in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Only a few puzzle games scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as the most-played games globally continuing this trend for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait decades.
