As any major honors show approaches, one notices a demand to include additional classifications to honor unsung work and satisfy the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist for pushing forward since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game missed out in 2019
- Popular arranging title got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Well-known matching games rank among most popular titles worldwide and have been for many years.
The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
