As any major prize-giving event draws close, there’s always an outcry to include additional classifications to honor underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely that year
- Another imaginative release missed out during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, but the art behind logic titles is of massive significance. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles globally continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
