Each time a major awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry to include additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the hearts of fans with niche passions.
A fellow writer made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Classifying creative works isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and typically generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories effectively encompass a lot of ground, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. 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, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles launched regularly lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, except when they manage to fit for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging Indie races.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything that year
- Another creative title was excluded in 2019
- A beloved organization game was overlooked in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're modest productions, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.
The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
