Each time a prominent prize-giving event draws close, one notices a clamor for the addition of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and delight the hearts of followers with niche passions.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial and significant. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: the architectural riddles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition completely that year
- Another imaginative release was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Only a few brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often modest productions, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals famous sandbox experiences competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, 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 annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
