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The Iconic Puzzle Game Couldn't Win at The Game Awards — Another Award Type Might Solve This

As any significant honors show approaches, one notices a clamor for the addition fresh award types to recognize unsung work and fill the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.

Another commentator previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. So would board games, representing someone's personal cause. However, I must insist when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. Yet it remains an essential concession for the industry of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify as a single art form.

To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, specific award classifications remain vital.

Existing Game Classification System

The major gaming awards presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these award types actually cover numerous genres, making space possible accommodating various experiences.

This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.

Recognition Challenges

Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.

  • One classic puzzle game got overlooked completely during that awards season
  • Another creative title was excluded in 2019
  • A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment recently
  • Only a few puzzle games managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications

Significance of Puzzle Games

These are often compact experiences, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games rank among most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.

The famous puzzle experience competes with popular creative games competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.

The Solution and Justification

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers are working at the challenging frontier game development, producing among most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Just like cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.

About the author

Kevin Guerra

A technology strategist and writer with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and emerging tech markets.

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