Whenever a prominent prize-giving event nears, you'll find a clamor to include fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the hearts of followers dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. So would board games, representing someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game was overlooked in 2021
- Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often compact experiences, but the art behind logic titles is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences in the world and have been for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience competes with popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.
