Each time a prominent awards ceremony nears, one notices a demand to include fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that cinema institutions don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Think about these this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked for anything that year
- Another imaginative release missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
