As any significant awards ceremony draws close, there’s always an outcry to include additional classifications to recognize unsung work and fill the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. The same goes for board games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front just as with other blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is an unavoidable compromise within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most popular titles in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with famous sandbox experiences competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
