As any significant honors show approaches, one notices an outcry for introducing of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the hearts of followers dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often modest productions, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
