Whenever a major awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and fill the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, representing someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: the architectural riddles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens outstanding logic titles launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game received no nominations that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges well-known building titles competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay decades.