As any significant honors show nears, you'll find a demand for the addition additional classifications to recognize overlooked contributions and delight the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
Another commentator has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification 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
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise within the realm of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category in 2014
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent small games, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
