Whenever a prominent awards ceremony draws close, one notices a demand for introducing additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. But it is an essential concession for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything that year
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary game development, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
