Each time a major honors show draws close, there’s always a clamor for introducing additional classifications to honor unsung work and satisfy the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, this being a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that movie academies steer clear of genre categories. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers launched regularly without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most engaged experiences globally and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games competing to become most purchased experience; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these represent titles without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay decades.
