Tetris Couldn't Triumph at The Game Awards — A New Category Could Fix That

Each time a major prize-giving event approaches, you'll find a clamor for introducing fresh award types to honor underappreciated efforts and satisfy the spirits of fans with niche passions.

My colleague made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. The same goes for strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case backing this proposal remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be an award type for logic-based games.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of gaming, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.

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

Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these six categories successfully include many game types, making space possible for most games within them.

Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios in another game. Which classification works within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.

The Representation Problem

There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.

• An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category in 2014
• Another imaginative release received no nominations in 2019
• A beloved organization game got ignored recently
• Limited numbers of puzzle games managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories

Importance of Logic Titles

These are often small games, however the design of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most popular titles in the world and have been for over a decade.

The iconic tile-matching title competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as most purchased experience; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Puzzle games wouldn’t have that issue. One could readily select multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.

And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the demanding boundary interactive creation, producing among essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Similar to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay 35 years.