Each time a prominent awards ceremony approaches, one notices an outcry for introducing fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.
Another commentator has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize because like all single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing and significant. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories actually cover many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title missed out that year
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often modest productions, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences in the world continuing this trend for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the hard edge of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
