As any major honors show approaches, one notices a clamor for the addition fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.
Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. It would be amazing. The same goes for board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request stands as crucial above others. This is the request: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.
For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to put them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.
Acknowledgment Issues
Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.
- An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely that year
- Another creative title received no nominations that year
- A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
- Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often small games, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it also contends as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.
Proposal and Rationale
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.
To emphasize again, these are games that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. We shouldn't delay decades.
