Each time a significant prize-giving event nears, you'll find a demand to include additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent above others. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Popular arranging title was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among most popular titles globally continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
