As any major honors show draws close, you'll find a clamor to include fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and satisfy the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. The same goes for tabletop games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
The Genre Classification Challenge
Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.
Existing Game Classification System
Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.
Acknowledgment Issues
Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely during that awards season
- A different innovative game was excluded that year
- Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment that year
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
Frequently they represent compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles in the world and have been for over a decade.
The legendary block-stacking game rivals well-known building titles competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.
