As any significant prize-giving event draws close, one notices an outcry for introducing of new categories to honor unsung work and satisfy the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.
My colleague made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession within the realm of video games, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories successfully include many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category that year
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often small games, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles in the world continuing this trend for many years.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
