Each time a significant honors show approaches, one notices a demand to include of new categories to recognize unsung work and delight the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing above others. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another imaginative release was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked in 2021
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, however the design in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games globally and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge game development, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
