Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, you'll find an outcry for the addition of new categories to honor overlooked contributions and delight the hearts of fans with niche passions.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.
