Each time a significant prize-giving event approaches, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and delight the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for board games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories successfully include many game types, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles rank among the most-played games globally continuing this trend for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier game development, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
