Whenever a major awards ceremony approaches, you'll find a clamor for the addition additional classifications to honor unsung work and delight the hearts of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories successfully include many game types, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Think about these this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category that year
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Popular arranging title was overlooked that year
- Only a few logic titles managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences globally and have been for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
