Whenever a significant honors show approaches, one notices a demand for introducing of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. The same goes for strategy board titles, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies steer clear of genre categories. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely that year
- Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the demanding boundary game development, creating some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
