Whenever a prominent honors show draws close, there’s always a demand for introducing additional classifications to honor unsung work and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts with niche passions.
My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. So would board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room for most games within them.
Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated in any category that year
- Another creative title was excluded during that ceremony
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
- Just some brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most engaged experiences globally maintaining this status for an extended period.
The legendary block-stacking game competes with well-known building titles competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.
