Each time a major awards ceremony draws close, one notices a demand to include of new categories to recognize unsung work and fill the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal is the most urgent and significant. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, however the design of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games in the world and have been for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Comparable to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
