Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, one notices an outcry to include fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and fill the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand stands as crucial and significant. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types actually cover many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Think about these this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated completely that year
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, but the art behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge game development, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
