Each time a major honors show nears, one notices a clamor for introducing of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Think about these recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. 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 during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything that year
- A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
- Only a few brain-teasers barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home in important events. Puzzle game makers function at the hard edge game development, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
