Tetris Couldn't Win at The Game Awards — Another Award Type Could Fix That
Whenever a significant prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a demand for the addition of new categories to honor unsung work and fill the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.
A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Categorizing Game Types
Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types actually cover many game types, making space possible for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers published annually without proper recognition in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category that year
- Another creative title received no nominations in 2019
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Significance of Puzzle Games
These are often modest productions, however the design in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games globally maintaining this status for over a decade.
The famous puzzle experience rivals famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.
Restating the point, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge of video game design, developing some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.