Each time a prominent prize-giving event approaches, you'll find a demand for the addition additional classifications to honor unsung work and delight the passions of followers with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. So would board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize just as with other single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. This is the request: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies offer these award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated in any category that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent modest productions, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
Restating the point, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators operate at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
