Whenever a prominent awards ceremony draws close, one notices a clamor for introducing fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything that year
- Another imaginative release was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked in 2021
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences in the world and have been for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.
