Whenever a major awards ceremony approaches, one notices a demand to include fresh award types to recognize underappreciated efforts and fill the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent above others. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories actually cover many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Think about these recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. What category would fit them among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game got ignored in 2021
- Only a few brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it also contends 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 such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators operate at the challenging frontier game development, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
