Each time a prominent honors show nears, there’s always a clamor to include of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and fill the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely that year
- Another imaginative release missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as most engaged experiences globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among essential manifestations of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
