As any major prize-giving event draws close, one notices an outcry for introducing of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the spirits of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition for anything during that awards season
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles globally continuing this trend for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
Restating the point, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
