As any major honors show approaches, one notices a demand to include fresh award types to honor unsung work and fill the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request is the most urgent and important of all. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types effectively encompass numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Think about these recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- Another imaginative release missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience challenges popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. You could fill a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Comparable to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
