Whenever a major honors show nears, you'll find a clamor to include additional classifications to honor unsung work and satisfy the hearts of followers with niche passions.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated completely that year
- Another creative title missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these include experiences that otherwise have no home in important events. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary game development, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Just like movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait 35 years.
