Each time a major prize-giving event nears, there’s always a clamor to include additional classifications to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and fill the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything that year
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- Popular arranging title got ignored recently
- Just some brain-teasers barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, but the art behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
