Each time a major prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a demand to include additional classifications to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works is not a science; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category in 2014
- Another imaginative release was excluded during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title got ignored that year
- Just some logic titles scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles worldwide and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill 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.
And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.
