Whenever a significant honors show approaches, one notices a clamor for introducing of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the passions of enthusiasts with niche passions.
Another commentator made the case supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among most engaged experiences worldwide maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with well-known building titles for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
