Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, there’s always a demand to include of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and satisfy the passions of followers with niche passions.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing above others. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title was overlooked recently
- Only a few brain-teasers barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles globally and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge game development, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
