Whenever a prominent prize-giving event draws close, you'll find an outcry for introducing of new categories to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and fill the spirits of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything that year
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games for the title of highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge game development, producing among essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay generations.
