Each time a prominent awards ceremony approaches, you'll find a clamor for the addition of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, 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 possess a compelling case for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked in any category during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of puzzle games scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.
