Whenever a significant honors show draws close, one notices a clamor for the addition of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles claiming status as most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
