Tetris Couldn't Succeed at This Gaming Ceremony — An Additional Classification Might Solve This

As any prominent awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry to include additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and fill the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.

Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal stands as crucial and significant. Here's the proposal: There should be a category for puzzle games.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Categorizing art by genre is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.

To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.

Existing Game Classification System

Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, and you can find room for most games within them.

This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.

Acknowledgment Issues

Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.

  • An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely in 2014
  • A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
  • Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
  • Just some logic titles barely qualified for independent or mobile categories

Significance of Puzzle Games

Commonly they're small games, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences in the world and have been for many years.

The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging with almost every other genre.

Proposal and Rationale

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.

Restating the point, these represent titles that otherwise have no home in important events. Brain-teaser creators operate at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait generations.

Jessica Miller
Jessica Miller

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in casino markets and strategy development.

Popular Post