Each time a major prize-giving event draws close, you'll find an outcry for introducing fresh award types to acknowledge unsung work and delight the spirits of followers dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
The Representation Problem
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked for anything during that awards season
- Another creative title was excluded that year
- Popular arranging title got ignored that year
- Only a few logic titles barely qualified for niche award types
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, yet the craft in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games globally and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter that issue. It would be easy to populate a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these include experiences without proper classification in important events. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.
