As any significant awards ceremony draws close, there’s always a demand for introducing fresh award types to recognize unsung work and delight the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial above others. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- Another imaginative release was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment recently
- Only a few brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games rank among most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary game development, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Just like movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay decades.
