Whenever a significant honors show nears, there’s always a clamor for introducing of new categories to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of enthusiasts with niche passions.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for many years.
The famous puzzle experience challenges well-known building titles claiming status as most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and engaging across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge of video game design, creating some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
