As any significant awards ceremony approaches, there’s always an outcry to include fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of fans who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: the architectural riddles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
- Another imaginative release missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and engaging across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.
