Whenever a prominent honors show approaches, one notices a clamor for the addition of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and fill the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
Another commentator previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial above others. The demand is this: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types effectively encompass a lot of ground, and you can find room for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Think about these recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything that year
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games worldwide and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Puzzle game makers function at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.
