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The Iconic Puzzle Game Wouldn't Succeed at The Game Awards — Another Award Type May Address This Issue

As any major prize-giving event approaches, one notices an outcry for the addition fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.

A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. 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 remains most pressing and important of all. The demand is this: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Classifying creative works isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise within the realm of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute one unified medium.

For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.

Current Gaming Award Categories

Leading game ceremonies offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.

This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, each quite distinct: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.

Acknowledgment Issues

Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.

  • A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated completely in 2014
  • A different innovative game received no nominations in 2019
  • Popular arranging title was overlooked recently
  • Only a few brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories

Significance of Puzzle Games

Commonly they're modest productions, however the design of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.

The famous puzzle experience competes with well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Puzzle game makers are working at the hard edge game development, developing some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Just like movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait 35 years.

TH
About the author

Teresa Harvey

Liam Carter is a technology consultant with over 15 years of experience in IT strategy and digital transformation for UK businesses.

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