Whenever a major prize-giving event nears, you'll find an outcry for the addition additional classifications to honor overlooked contributions and fill the hearts of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. So would tabletop games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and it will always spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Think about these outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title received no nominations during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some brain-teasers managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games in the world maintaining this status for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.
