Whenever a major awards ceremony nears, one notices a demand to include fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of fans with niche passions.
Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession in the world of video games, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- Popular arranging title was overlooked that year
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games globally continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers function at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
