Each time a major awards ceremony nears, there’s always a clamor for the addition of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the passions of enthusiasts with niche passions.
Another commentator previously argued supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are board games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal is the most urgent above others. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Think about these recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among the most-played games globally continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. It would be easy to populate a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
