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Whenever a major awards ceremony approaches, you'll find a demand for introducing of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.

My colleague previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. So would board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case for why my demand stands as crucial above others. The demand is this: There should be a category for puzzle games.

Categorizing Game Types

Categorizing art by genre is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.

For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.

Existing Game Classification System

The major gaming awards offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories successfully include many game types, and you can find room for numerous titles.

Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.

The Representation Problem

Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.

• A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category that year
• Another creative title was excluded in 2019
• Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
• Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into niche award types

Value of Brain-Teasers

Commonly they're compact experiences, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for an extended period.

The legendary block-stacking game rivals famous sandbox experiences claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with almost every other genre.

Proposal and Rationale

Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.

To emphasize again, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers are working at the demanding boundary interactive creation, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.