Whenever a significant prize-giving event draws close, one notices a clamor for introducing fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and delight the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. The demand is this: We need a category for puzzle games.
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they barely qualify a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications successfully include many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
These are often compact experiences, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as most popular titles worldwide and have been for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience competes with popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary game development, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.
Eva de Vries is a passionate book lover and local writer from Eindhoven.
