As any prominent prize-giving event approaches, there’s always an outcry to include additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and fill the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents an essential concession in the world of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications effectively encompass numerous genres, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, but the art behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
