As any prominent awards ceremony approaches, one notices a demand for introducing of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types successfully include many game types, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another creative title missed out during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for many years.
The famous puzzle experience challenges popular creative games claiming status as most purchased experience; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
