Tetris Wouldn't Win at This Gaming Ceremony — Another Award Type May Address This Issue
Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, one notices a demand to include fresh award types to honor unsung work and satisfy the passions of fans with niche passions.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely during that awards season
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.