As any significant honors show nears, there’s always an outcry for introducing fresh award types to honor unsung work and delight the hearts of followers with niche passions.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories actually cover a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most popular titles in the world continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. You could fill five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge game development, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
