Each time a major prize-giving event approaches, there’s always an outcry for the addition fresh award types to acknowledge unsung work and delight the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.
Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.