As any major honors show nears, one notices a clamor for the addition of new categories to recognize unsung work and fill the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. The same goes for board games, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request stands as crucial above others. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely that year
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored that year
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
