As any major awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry for the addition of new categories to honor unsung work and delight the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories successfully include many game types, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another imaginative release missed out that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored in 2021
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences globally and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles competing to become best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge game development, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
