Tetris Wouldn't Win at The Game Awards — A New Category Might Solve This
Each time a significant prize-giving event approaches, one notices an outcry for introducing additional classifications to honor unsung work and satisfy the spirits of followers with niche passions.
Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, this being 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 for why my demand is the most urgent above others. The demand is this: We need an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and inevitably spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of gaming, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.
Present Award Structure
The major gaming awards offer these classifications covering Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, making space possible for numerous titles.
Different situation exists for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Think about these this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.
Recognition Challenges
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.
- One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely in 2014
- Another imaginative release was excluded in 2019
- Popular arranging title got ignored in 2021
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into niche award types
Importance of Logic Titles
These are often small games, however the design behind logic titles is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games worldwide continuing this trend for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.
The Solution and Justification
Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.
To emphasize again, these represent titles that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers function 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. Don't make them wait decades.