Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, one notices a clamor for introducing of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal is the most urgent above others. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise within the realm of gaming, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications successfully include many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles scraped into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as most popular titles worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
