Whenever a prominent awards ceremony nears, there’s always a clamor to include additional classifications to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent above others. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types actually cover many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- Popular arranging title got ignored recently
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often small games, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most engaged experiences globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers function at the challenging frontier game development, creating some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
