Each time a significant prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a clamor for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the passions of followers who have specialized interests.
My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial above others. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they hardly constitute a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.
- A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything that year
- Another creative title missed out in 2019
- A beloved organization game got ignored recently
- Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Commonly they're modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles globally continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier game development, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
