Whenever a major honors show approaches, you'll find a clamor for the addition of new categories to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. So would board games, which is someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal is the most urgent and significant. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. But it is an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Existing Game Classification System
Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories effectively encompass numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.
Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
- A different innovative game received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
Frequently they represent small games, however the design in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles for the title of most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers function at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.
