Whenever a prominent awards ceremony draws close, one notices an outcry for the addition fresh award types to honor unsung work and satisfy the hearts of fans dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and inevitably generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that cinema institutions avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Think about these recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked in any category in 2014
- A different innovative game was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some puzzle games scraped into independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles globally continuing this trend for many years.
The famous puzzle experience challenges popular creative games for the title of highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. One could readily select a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
