🔗 Share this article

Each time a prominent awards ceremony nears, one notices an outcry for introducing fresh award types to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the passions of fans dedicated to specific genres.

My colleague made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: There should be an award type for logic-based games.

Categorizing Game Types

Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse they hardly constitute as a single art form.

For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.

Present Award Structure

Leading game ceremonies offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for numerous titles.

Not so for puzzle games. No suitable classification appears for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: the architectural riddles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.

Recognition Challenges

There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.

• An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category during that awards season
• Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
• Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
• Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into niche award types

Significance of Puzzle Games

Frequently they represent compact experiences, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games globally continuing this trend for an extended period.

The legendary block-stacking game competes with well-known building titles claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.

Proposal and Rationale

Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave many worthy titles.

And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among the purest expressions of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.