Whenever a significant awards ceremony draws close, there’s always a clamor for introducing of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of followers with niche passions.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
