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Tetris Couldn't Win at This Gaming Ceremony — Another Award Type Might Solve This

Each time a prominent awards ceremony approaches, you'll find an outcry for the addition fresh award types to honor unsung work and delight the hearts of fans dedicated to specific genres.

A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are board games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist when I prioritize since similar to blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand remains most pressing above others. This is the request: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.

Categorizing Game Types

Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of video games, showing incredible range they barely qualify a single creative category.

For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.

Existing Game Classification System

Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications actually cover many game types, making space possible for most games within them.

This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: the architectural riddles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.

The Representation Problem

Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.

  • An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category during that awards season
  • A different innovative game missed out during that ceremony
  • A beloved organization game was overlooked recently
  • Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into small studio or handheld classifications

Importance of Logic Titles

Frequently they represent compact experiences, but the art behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games globally continuing this trend for over a decade.

The legendary block-stacking game competes with famous sandbox experiences competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting across multiple categories.

The Solution and Justification

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.

And to reiterate, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.

The writer

Johnny Molina

A tech entrepreneur and AI researcher with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and startup mentoring.

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