As any major honors show nears, one notices a demand to include additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.
My colleague has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated completely that year
- Another imaginative release was excluded that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent modest productions, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as most popular titles in the world and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge game development, creating some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
