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Tetris Wouldn't Succeed at The Game Awards — An Additional Classification May Address This Issue

As any significant awards ceremony approaches, there’s always an outcry for the addition of new categories to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.

A fellow writer has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.

Categorizing Game Types

Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it’s very subjective, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why movie academies steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of interactive entertainment, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.

To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, classification by type becomes crucial.

Current Gaming Award Categories

Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.

This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Think about these outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. What category would fit them between these six categories? Nowhere, that’s where.

The Representation Problem

Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.

  • An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked for anything during that awards season
  • Another creative title missed out during that ceremony
  • Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment in 2021
  • Limited numbers of brain-teasers barely qualified for niche award types

Significance of Puzzle Games

Frequently they represent small games, yet the craft of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games stand as most popular titles in the world continuing this trend for many years.

The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.

The Solution and Justification

Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude so many good games out.

And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.

The writer

Alison Cooper

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and startup ecosystems.

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