Each time a significant awards ceremony draws close, there’s always an outcry for the addition additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Consider three of outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles barely qualified for niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for many years.
The famous puzzle experience challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
