As any major prize-giving event nears, there’s always a clamor for introducing fresh award types to honor unsung work and satisfy the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works is not a science; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games scraped into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles worldwide continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. One could readily select five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers function at the demanding boundary game development, creating some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
