Whenever a significant prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a clamor for introducing additional classifications to honor overlooked contributions and fill the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request is the most urgent and important of all. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked in any category in 2014
- A different innovative game received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some logic titles scraped into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent small games, but the art behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay decades.
