Each time a significant honors show nears, there’s always a demand for the addition of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and delight the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. But it is an essential concession for the industry of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types successfully include many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. What category would fit them among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition in any category that year
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers barely qualified for niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences in the world and have been for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.
