Each time a prominent honors show draws close, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for board games, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories actually cover a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: structural challenges from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition completely that year
- Another imaginative release missed out during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles globally and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles 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 with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these include experiences without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
