Whenever a major prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a clamor for introducing additional classifications to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for strategy board titles, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition in any category during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences in the world continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
