Each time a prominent awards ceremony draws close, there’s always a demand to include fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications effectively encompass numerous genres, and you can find room for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Recognition Challenges
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game received no recognition completely during that awards season
- Another imaginative release received no nominations in 2019
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked that year
- Only a few brain-teasers scraped into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles globally maintaining this status for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge game development, creating some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait generations.
