As any significant awards ceremony approaches, one notices a demand to include fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. The same goes for tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and typically generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category that year
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked in 2021
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these represent titles that otherwise have no home in important events. Brain-teaser creators are working at the challenging frontier game development, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.
