As any prominent prize-giving event nears, there’s always a clamor to include fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent above others. This is the request: It's essential to create 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 and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most popular titles worldwide continuing this trend for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.