Each time a significant honors show nears, there’s always a clamor for the addition of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, which is a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories actually cover many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games globally continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
