As any major awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry for the addition of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and delight the spirits of followers who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories successfully include many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- Popular arranging title was overlooked in 2021
- Just some logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with famous sandbox experiences for the title of best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. It would be easy to populate five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
