As any prominent prize-giving event approaches, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and delight the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, representing someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that cinema institutions avoid this approach. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications successfully include many game types, and you can find room for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles launched regularly that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Just some logic titles scraped into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often compact experiences, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles in the world and have been for many years.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. One could readily select a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the challenging frontier interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.
