Each time a significant awards ceremony approaches, one notices a demand for introducing fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and fill the passions of followers with niche passions.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial above others. This is the request: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types successfully include many game types, making space possible accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked in 2021
- Just some puzzle games scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
