Each time a major honors show approaches, you'll find a demand for the addition of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and fill the hearts of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case for why my demand remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories actually cover many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category that year
- Another imaginative release missed out during that ceremony
- Popular arranging title was overlooked recently
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most popular titles worldwide and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge game development, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.
