As any major prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a demand to include fresh award types to recognize unsung work and fill the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for tabletop games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked in any category during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
