Whenever a prominent prize-giving event approaches, there’s always an outcry for the addition fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil in the world of gaming, showing incredible range they barely qualify a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category that year
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title was overlooked recently
- Only a few logic titles managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often modest productions, but the art in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles globally and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge game development, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
