Tetris Wouldn't Win at The Game Awards — An Additional Classification Might Solve This
As any major awards ceremony approaches, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the passions of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.
To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications actually cover many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to put them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
- Another imaginative release missed out in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment in 2021
- Just some puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games in the world and have been for many years.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games competing to become most purchased experience; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. You could fill five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
Restating the point, these include experiences without proper classification at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.