Tetris Wouldn't Succeed at The Game Awards — An Additional Classification Might Solve This
As any significant prize-giving event nears, one notices an outcry for the addition fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal is the most urgent above others. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of video games, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, yet the craft behind logic titles is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators function at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
