Each time a significant prize-giving event approaches, one notices a clamor for introducing additional classifications to recognize overlooked contributions and satisfy the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories successfully include many game types, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often small games, but the art of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge game development, producing among most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait generations.
