As any major awards ceremony approaches, you'll find a clamor to include of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that cinema institutions don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers launched regularly without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles worldwide and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. One could readily select a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.
