Whenever a major honors show draws close, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front 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 classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and it will always spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything during that awards season
- A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
