Whenever a prominent prize-giving event approaches, you'll find a clamor for introducing of new categories to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and fill the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise within the realm of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they barely qualify a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated completely that year
- A different innovative game was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles scraped into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games globally continuing this trend for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.
