Whenever a prominent awards ceremony approaches, one notices a clamor to include fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for strategy board titles, representing someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. But it is an unavoidable compromise within the realm of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Think about these this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Only a few brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're modest productions, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, producing among essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.
