As any significant honors show approaches, one notices a clamor for the addition additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. So would tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions 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 achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories successfully include many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked in any category that year
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often compact experiences, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as the most-played games in the world and have been for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers function at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait generations.