As any prominent honors show draws close, there’s always an outcry for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and fill the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
A fellow writer has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often compact experiences, but the art behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most popular titles in the world and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
