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As any prominent prize-giving event draws close, you'll find a clamor for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.

My colleague has already made for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist if I try to elbow in front because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. Here's the proposal: We need a category for puzzle games.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Classifying creative works isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that cinema institutions avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.

For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.

Current Gaming Award Categories

Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories actually cover a lot of ground, allowing placement for most games within them.

Not so for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works among existing types? Simply put, no category fits.

The Representation Problem

There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.

• One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated for anything in 2014
• A different innovative game received no nominations during that ceremony
• Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
• Only a few logic titles scraped into niche award types

Importance of Logic Titles

Commonly they're small games, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles count as the most-played games in the world continuing this trend for over a decade.

The legendary block-stacking game challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it also contends for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and engaging across multiple categories.

Proposal and Rationale

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.

Restating the point, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the challenging frontier of video game design, producing among essential manifestations of gaming itself. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.