Whenever a major honors show draws close, you'll find a clamor for the addition fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of followers with niche passions.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers launched regularly without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're small games, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences worldwide maintaining this status for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
