As any significant prize-giving event nears, one notices a clamor for introducing additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Just some brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often small games, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games worldwide and have been for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.
