As any prominent prize-giving event nears, there’s always an outcry for the addition fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the hearts of followers with niche passions.
A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these outstanding current releases, all very different: the architectural riddles from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles globally continuing this trend for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait decades.
