The Iconic Puzzle Game Didn't Triumph at The Game Awards — An Additional Classification Might Solve This

As any prominent prize-giving event approaches, one notices an outcry for introducing additional classifications to recognize overlooked contributions and delight the hearts of followers with niche passions.

Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand is the most urgent above others. This is the request: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.

Categorizing Game Types

Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that movie academies steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.

To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.

Current Gaming Award Categories

Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.

This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges of a third title. Where could they possibly go among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.

Recognition Challenges

Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.

• An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
• A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
• Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
• Only a few logic titles barely qualified for niche award types

Significance of Puzzle Games

Frequently they represent compact experiences, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for over a decade.

The famous puzzle experience competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.

Proposal and Rationale

Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.

And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers function at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.