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Tetris Wouldn't Triumph at The Game Awards — Another Award Type Could Fix That

Each time a prominent honors show nears, you'll find a clamor for introducing fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.

A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. The same goes for strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. However, I must insist for pushing forward since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.

Categorizing Game Types

Classifying creative works is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of video games, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.

For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.

Existing Game Classification System

Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories successfully include a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.

Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.

The Representation Problem

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

  • A renowned logic title got overlooked in any category during that awards season
  • Another imaginative release received no nominations that year
  • Popular arranging title was overlooked recently
  • Only a few brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications

Importance of Logic Titles

Frequently they represent compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most popular titles worldwide and have been for many years.

The iconic tile-matching title challenges famous sandbox experiences for the title of most purchased experience; it also contends for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.

Restating the point, these include experiences without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, creating some of most fundamental forms within interactive entertainment. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.

About the author

Peter Brown

A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and digital trends across Europe.

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