As any significant honors show draws close, there’s always a clamor for introducing additional classifications to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the spirits of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. So would strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. You could fill five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait decades.
