Each time a prominent awards ceremony approaches, you'll find an outcry for the addition of new categories to honor unsung work and satisfy the passions of fans with niche passions.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked in any category that year
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- Popular arranging title got ignored that year
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences globally and have been for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
