The Iconic Puzzle Game Couldn't Win at The Game Awards — A New Category Could Fix That

As any prominent awards ceremony nears, you'll find an outcry for the addition fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.

A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. The same goes for strategy board titles, this being someone's personal cause. However, I must insist when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing above others. This is the request: We need a category for puzzle games.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically start arguments resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason cinema institutions steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of gaming, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.

For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.

Current Gaming Award Categories

Leading game ceremonies offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.

Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.

Acknowledgment Issues

There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly that have no home in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.

  • One classic puzzle game got overlooked for anything in 2014
  • A different innovative game received no nominations that year
  • Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
  • Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications

Value of Brain-Teasers

These are often small games, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among the most-played games globally maintaining this status for an extended period.

The legendary block-stacking game competes with well-known building titles for the title of most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.

Proposal and Rationale

Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.

Restating the point, these are games without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.

Robyn Gutierrez
Robyn Gutierrez

A seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience in reviewing online casinos and bonus offers across the UK market.