Whenever a prominent honors show draws close, one notices a demand to include fresh award types to recognize unsung work and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. So would tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. The demand is this: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession within the realm of video games, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications effectively encompass numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category in 2014
- A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience challenges well-known building titles for the title of best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. One could readily select five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
