As any prominent honors show draws close, one notices a clamor for introducing additional classifications to recognize overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand is the most urgent above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Think about these recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition for anything that year
- Another imaginative release received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
- Just some puzzle games scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most popular titles globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge of video game design, producing among most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.
