Tetris Couldn't Win at The Game Awards — An Additional Classification Might Solve This
As any prominent prize-giving event draws close, you'll find a clamor for introducing of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front just as with other blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request is the most urgent and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Classifying creative works isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, showing incredible range they barely qualify as a single art form.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types effectively encompass a lot of ground, and you can find room for most games within them.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked in any category during that awards season
- A different innovative game missed out during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
- Only a few puzzle games scraped into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among most popular titles worldwide and have been for many years.
The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. You could fill five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators function at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.