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The Iconic Puzzle Game Didn't Win at The Game Awards — Another Award Type May Address This Issue

As any major prize-giving event draws close, one notices a clamor for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the hearts of followers dedicated to specific genres.

Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial and significant. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.

Categorizing Game Types

Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason cinema institutions don’t do it. But it is an unavoidable compromise within the realm of gaming, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.

For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.

Current Gaming Award Categories

Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories actually cover 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 to accommodate them. Think about these recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.

Recognition Challenges

Many instances occur outstanding logic titles published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.

  • An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category that year
  • Another creative title missed out in 2019
  • A beloved organization game got ignored in 2021
  • Just some brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications

Significance of Puzzle Games

These are often small games, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most engaged experiences worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.

The legendary block-stacking game rivals popular creative games for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and engaging with diverse game types.

The Solution and Justification

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.

To emphasize again, these are games without proper classification in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the challenging frontier interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Similar to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.

The writer

Tracey Cline

Astrophysicist and science communicator passionate about making space accessible through engaging content and research.

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