Each time a significant honors show draws close, there’s always a clamor for the addition fresh award types to recognize unsung work and delight the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for board games, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent above others. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types successfully include numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything that year
- Another creative title missed out during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games rank among most popular titles worldwide continuing this trend for many years.
The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait generations.
