Each time a major honors show approaches, you'll find a clamor for the addition additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything that year
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored in 2021
- Just some puzzle games scraped into niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience challenges popular creative games for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles without proper classification at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
