As any prominent prize-giving event approaches, one notices a clamor to include additional classifications to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game got ignored in 2021
- Just some puzzle games scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as most engaged experiences globally maintaining this status for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles for the title of most purchased experience; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these represent titles without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
