Whenever a prominent awards ceremony nears, you'll find an outcry to include fresh award types to honor unsung work and fill the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Think about these outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often small games, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience competes with well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary game development, creating some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay decades.
