Whenever a major awards ceremony nears, you'll find an outcry to include of new categories to honor unsung work and fill the passions of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game was excluded that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait decades.
