As any major honors show nears, there’s always a demand to include fresh award types to honor unsung work and satisfy the hearts of followers with niche passions.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal is the most urgent above others. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories actually cover many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences globally and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles for the title of most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification in important events. Logic title developers function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
