As any prominent honors show approaches, you'll find a demand for introducing additional classifications to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. So would tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types actually cover numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Think about these outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely in 2014
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games for the title of most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
