Each time a prominent awards ceremony nears, you'll find a demand to include fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal is the most urgent above others. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they barely qualify one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games in the world and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games for the title of highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge game development, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait decades.
