Whenever a prominent awards ceremony nears, there’s always a clamor for the addition of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans with niche passions.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist when I prioritize since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing above others. This is the request: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass numerous genres, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Think about these outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything in 2014
- Another imaginative release was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these represent titles without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
