Whenever a significant honors show nears, one notices a clamor to include fresh award types to recognize underappreciated efforts and fill the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types actually cover numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences globally and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers function at the hard edge of video game design, creating some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.
