Whenever a major awards ceremony nears, you'll find a clamor for introducing fresh award types to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts with niche passions.
A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case for why my demand remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil in the world of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories actually cover numerous genres, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Think about these recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely during that awards season
- Another imaginative release missed out that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored in 2021
- Limited numbers of logic titles scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles rank among the most-played games globally maintaining this status for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience competes with well-known building titles for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators operate at the challenging frontier game development, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Comparable to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
