As any significant awards ceremony draws close, one notices an outcry to include additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the hearts of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition in any category that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title was overlooked recently
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games globally continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge game development, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
