Each time a major prize-giving event approaches, there’s always a clamor to include of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that cinema institutions avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another imaginative release was excluded in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Only a few logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often modest productions, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
