Each time a major honors show approaches, one notices a clamor for introducing fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of followers with niche passions.
Another commentator made the case supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent above others. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and it will always spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications actually cover many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition in any category during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- Popular arranging title got ignored that year
- Just some puzzle games scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most engaged experiences worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
