As any major awards ceremony draws close, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial above others. This is the request: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they barely qualify a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely in 2014
- A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most popular titles in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges well-known building titles claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
