Each time a significant honors show approaches, you'll find an outcry to include additional classifications to honor unsung work and satisfy the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would board games, representing someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that cinema institutions avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
Leading game ceremonies currently feature genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room for most games within them.
Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition completely in 2014
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.
