Each time a significant awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry for the addition additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and fill the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and typically spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies offer these award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game got ignored that year
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. It would be easy to populate five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
