Each time a major honors show nears, one notices a demand to include of new categories to recognize unsung work and delight the passions of fans with niche passions.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, representing someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. The demand is this: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types successfully include many game types, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles in the world and have been for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these represent titles that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
