Each time a significant awards ceremony approaches, one notices an outcry for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and delight the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. So would board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked in any category during that awards season
- A different innovative game missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often small games, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges well-known building titles competing to become best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
