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The Big World of Ideas

Tetris Couldn't Triumph at The Game Awards — An Additional Classification Could Fix That

Whenever a prominent prize-giving event approaches, you'll find a clamor to include additional classifications to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of followers with niche passions.

My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would tabletop games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist for pushing forward because like all single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why film award organizations don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of video games, which are so diverse they barely qualify a single creative category.

For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.

Present Award Structure

The major gaming awards currently feature genre categories for Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these award types effectively encompass a lot of ground, making space possible for most games within them.

This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, engaging interpersonal challenges in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.

Acknowledgment Issues

Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested small studio competitions.

  • A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated for anything that year
  • Another imaginative release received no nominations in 2019
  • A beloved organization game got ignored recently
  • Just some brain-teasers scraped into small studio or handheld classifications

Value of Brain-Teasers

These are often compact experiences, but the art behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as most engaged experiences worldwide continuing this trend for an extended period.

The legendary block-stacking game competes with popular creative games for the title of best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with almost every other genre.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary game development, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.

Written by

Paul Johnson

A seasoned CRM consultant with over a decade of experience in helping businesses optimize customer interactions and drive growth through technology.

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