Tetris Couldn't Triumph at The Game Awards — Another Award Type Might Solve This
Whenever a prominent prize-giving event draws close, one notices a demand to include additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.
A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is someone's personal cause. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute a single creative category.
To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Current Gaming Award Categories
The major gaming awards presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications actually cover many game types, and you can find room for numerous titles.
This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: structural challenges in a particular game, intense tile-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
The Representation Problem
Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.
- A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category that year
- A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
- A beloved organization game was overlooked in 2021
- Just some brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories
Value of Brain-Teasers
These are often small games, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title competes with well-known building titles for the title of highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.
The Solution and Justification
Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.