Whenever a major awards ceremony nears, one notices a clamor for introducing fresh award types to acknowledge unsung work and fill the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards currently feature award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked in 2021
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary game development, creating some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
