Each time a prominent awards ceremony nears, one notices a demand for introducing additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front just as with other blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. What category would fit them within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Only a few brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles globally and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
