Whenever a major prize-giving event approaches, there’s always a demand for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are board games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary game development, producing among most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
