Each time a significant awards ceremony draws close, there’s always a clamor to include of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers 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.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely that year
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're modest productions, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles globally and have been for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators are working at the challenging frontier interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.
