Whenever a major prize-giving event nears, there’s always a clamor for the addition fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal stands as crucial and significant. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass numerous genres, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some logic titles scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences 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 during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
