Whenever a prominent honors show approaches, one notices a clamor to include of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and delight the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. This is the request: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range 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 classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges of one title, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Only a few logic titles scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most popular titles globally maintaining this status for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.
