Each time a significant prize-giving event nears, there’s always a clamor for introducing of new categories to recognize unsung work and satisfy the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.
