As any significant prize-giving event approaches, you'll find a demand for the addition fresh award types to recognize unsung work and fill the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types actually cover numerous genres, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category that year
- A different innovative game missed out in 2019
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent small games, but the art of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave 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 hard edge game development, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait 35 years.
