Each time a significant prize-giving event approaches, one notices a demand to include fresh award types to honor unsung work and delight the spirits of followers with niche passions.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. So would board games, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent above others. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession for the industry of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some logic titles barely qualified for niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games in the world and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
