The Iconic Puzzle Game Didn't Win at The Game Awards — Another Award Type Might Solve This
As any significant prize-giving event approaches, you'll find an outcry to include of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the hearts of fans dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are board games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial above others. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is an essential concession in the world of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications actually cover many game types, allowing placement for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Think about these recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, intense tile-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category that year
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.