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The Iconic Puzzle Game Wouldn't Succeed at The Game Awards — Another Award Type Might Solve This

Each time a significant awards ceremony nears, you'll find an outcry to include additional classifications to honor underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers with niche passions.

Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are board games, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.

Categorizing Game Types

Classifying creative works is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.

For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.

Present Award Structure

The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, 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 recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.

Acknowledgment Issues

Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.

  • One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything during that awards season
  • A different innovative game missed out in 2019
  • A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment recently
  • Only a few puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories

Value of Brain-Teasers

Commonly they're modest productions, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for many years.

The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games for the title of most purchased experience; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.

The Solution and Justification

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.

The writer

Casey Butler

A cultural analyst and writer passionate about exploring global trends and their impact on society.

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