Each time a prominent prize-giving event draws close, you'll find a demand for the addition additional classifications to recognize unsung work and satisfy the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and it will always generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored that year
- Only a few logic titles scraped into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're modest productions, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most popular titles globally maintaining this status for many years.
The famous puzzle experience challenges famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. One could readily select a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
To emphasize again, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait generations.
