The Iconic Puzzle Game Wouldn't Succeed at The Game Awards — A New Category Might Solve This
As any prominent awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry for introducing of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and satisfy the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications effectively encompass numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Think about these recent excellent titles, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked for anything in 2014
- Another imaginative release received no nominations that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier game development, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.