Whenever a prominent awards ceremony draws close, one notices a demand for the addition of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts with niche passions.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case supporting my request stands as crucial and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked for anything that year
- Another imaginative release missed out that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few puzzle games scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most engaged experiences worldwide maintaining this status for many years.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. One could readily select five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait 35 years.
