As any significant honors show draws close, there’s always a demand to include fresh award types to recognize overlooked contributions and delight the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. The same goes for strategy board titles, representing someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. The demand is this: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types effectively encompass numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, intense tile-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked in 2021
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.
