As any prominent awards ceremony approaches, there’s always an outcry for the addition fresh award types to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing above others. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories actually cover many game types, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: the architectural riddles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely that year
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often small games, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles claiming status as most purchased experience; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
Restating the point, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
