Whenever a major honors show nears, there’s always a clamor for the addition fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of fans with niche passions.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal is the most urgent above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. 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 receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.
Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience was overlooked in 2021
- Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Well-known matching games count as most popular titles globally maintaining this status for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. You could fill five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait generations.
