As any prominent prize-giving event approaches, there’s always an outcry for the addition fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the passions of followers with niche passions.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. So would strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories actually cover many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked in 2021
- Only a few logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often small games, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games globally and have been for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
