🔗 Share this article

Whenever a significant prize-giving event approaches, there’s always a clamor for introducing fresh award types to recognize overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of followers who have specialized interests.

A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.

Categorizing Game Types

Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.

To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.

Existing Game Classification System

The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, making space possible accommodating various experiences.

This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.

The Representation Problem

Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.

• An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely in 2014
• A different innovative game missed out in 2019
• A beloved organization game got ignored in 2021
• Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications

Importance of Logic Titles

Commonly they're modest productions, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games globally continuing this trend for over a decade.

The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.

To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.