As any significant honors show nears, one notices an outcry for introducing of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial above others. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types successfully include many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything during that awards season
- Another imaginative release was excluded that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored that year
- Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as most popular titles globally continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Logic title developers function at the demanding boundary game development, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait decades.
