The Iconic Puzzle Game Didn't Succeed at The Game Awards — Another Award Type May Address This Issue

Whenever a prominent awards ceremony nears, there’s always a demand to include additional classifications to honor unsung work and fill the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.

A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.

Categorizing Game Types

Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. But it is an essential concession within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.

To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.

Existing Game Classification System

Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.

Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.

Recognition Challenges

Many instances occur outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.

  • A renowned logic title received no recognition in any category in 2014
  • Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
  • Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
  • Limited numbers of brain-teasers barely qualified for niche award types

Value of Brain-Teasers

Commonly they're compact experiences, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for many years.

The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.

Proposal and Rationale

Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.

And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.

Sharon Wallace
Sharon Wallace

A seasoned blackjack enthusiast with over a decade of experience, sharing insights from casinos worldwide.