As any major prize-giving event approaches, you'll find an outcry for introducing fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans with niche passions.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for board games, this being someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles launched regularly without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Only a few puzzle games scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles worldwide and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these include experiences that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait 35 years.