Each time a prominent honors show approaches, one notices a clamor for the addition additional classifications to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, representing someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial above others. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games globally continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge game development, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
