As any prominent honors show approaches, you'll find an outcry for introducing fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. 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, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games stand as most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the demanding boundary game development, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
