Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, one notices a clamor for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers with niche passions.
A fellow writer has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would board games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. This is the request: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles from a specific release, 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? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely in 2014
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences globally continuing this trend for many years.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
