🔗 Share this article

Each time a significant honors show nears, you'll find a demand for the addition of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and delight the passions of fans with niche passions.

My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. So would board games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial and significant. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.

Categorizing Game Types

Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.

For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.

Present Award Structure

The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.

Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.

The Representation Problem

There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.

• One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely that year
• Another creative title missed out that year
• Popular arranging title got ignored recently
• Just some logic titles managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications

Value of Brain-Teasers

These are often small games, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for many years.

The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers function at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.