Each time a significant awards ceremony draws close, you'll find a demand for the addition of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. The same goes for strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial above others. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications actually cover many game types, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition in any category in 2014
- Another imaginative release missed out that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft behind logic titles is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.