Whenever a prominent awards ceremony draws close, one notices a clamor to include of new categories to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and fill the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, intense tile-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
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment recently
- Just some puzzle games scraped into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games in the world and have been for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these include experiences without proper classification in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the challenging frontier game development, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
