Whenever a significant prize-giving event nears, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that cinema institutions don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored that year
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience challenges famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge game development, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait decades.
