As any prominent awards ceremony approaches, you'll find a clamor to include of new categories to honor unsung work and fill the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would strategy board titles, representing someone's personal cause. 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 above others. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications effectively encompass numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked completely in 2014
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- Popular arranging title was overlooked that year
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these represent titles without proper classification in important events. Brain-teaser creators operate at the hard edge game development, creating some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.
