Each time a significant prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a clamor for the addition of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the passions of followers with niche passions.
Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. The demand is this: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards offer these genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types actually cover numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly that have no home in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category that year
- A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're modest productions, but the art in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most popular titles worldwide and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game challenges well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. 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 represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
