As any major honors show draws close, one notices an outcry for introducing additional classifications to recognize overlooked contributions and satisfy the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request stands as crucial and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories actually cover many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category in 2014
- Another imaginative release received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent modest productions, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games claiming status as most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these represent titles without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.
