The Iconic Puzzle Game Didn't Win at The Game Awards — A New Category May Address This Issue

As any prominent honors show approaches, one notices a demand for the addition fresh award types to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and delight the hearts of enthusiasts dedicated to specific genres.

My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.

For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.

Existing Game Classification System

Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these classifications actually cover many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.

Not so for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, each quite distinct: building puzzles of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.

Acknowledgment Issues

There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.

  • An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely that year
  • A different innovative game received no nominations that year
  • A beloved organization game got ignored in 2021
  • Only a few brain-teasers scraped into niche award types

Importance of Logic Titles

These are often small games, but the art behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for many years.

The famous puzzle experience rivals popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.

Restating the point, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the challenging frontier of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.

Nicole Young
Nicole Young

A UK-based writer and creative strategist passionate about exploring the intersection of art, technology, and everyday inspiration.