Each time a major awards ceremony draws close, there’s always a demand for introducing of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and fill the hearts of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. 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 possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories actually cover a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. What category would fit them among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers launched regularly that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out in 2019
- Popular arranging title got ignored recently
- Only a few brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for many years.
The famous puzzle experience rivals famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. You could fill multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.
