As any prominent honors show draws close, you'll find an outcry for the addition fresh award types to honor unsung work and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for board games, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason cinema institutions avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft behind logic titles is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles globally maintaining this status for many years.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.
