As any prominent prize-giving event nears, you'll find a demand to include fresh award types to recognize overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and typically generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications actually cover many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Think about these this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges of one title, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked for anything in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- Popular arranging title got ignored in 2021
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
Restating the point, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait generations.
