Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, one notices an outcry to include additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and fill the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category that year
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title was overlooked in 2021
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often small games, but the art of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
