Each time a prominent prize-giving event approaches, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to recognize unsung work and delight the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. Yet it remains an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types actually cover many game types, and you can find room for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely in 2014
- A different innovative game missed out that year
- A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
- Only a few logic titles scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.
And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification in important events. Logic title developers function at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
