As any significant awards ceremony approaches, there’s always an outcry for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the passions of followers with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game got ignored that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often modest productions, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these include experiences that otherwise have no home in important events. Puzzle game makers function at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
