As any prominent awards ceremony nears, you'll find a demand for the addition additional classifications to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. This is the request: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and it will always generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything that year
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked recently
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences in the world and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge game development, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
