Each time a major honors show draws close, one notices a clamor for the addition of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. 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 important of all. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents 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 be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Think about these outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked completely during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of logic titles scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent compact experiences, but the art behind logic titles is of massive significance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait decades.
