Whenever a prominent honors show draws close, you'll find a demand for introducing fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request stands as crucial above others. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and typically generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types successfully include many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely in 2014
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification in important events. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier game development, producing among most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
