Whenever a significant awards ceremony draws close, one notices an outcry for introducing of new categories to recognize unsung work and satisfy the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial and significant. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games claiming status as most purchased experience; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
