Each time a prominent prize-giving event approaches, you'll find a demand for the addition additional classifications to recognize overlooked contributions and satisfy the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would 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 blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types successfully include many game types, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition in any category in 2014
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored in 2021
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences in the world continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge game development, creating some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
