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Each time a major honors show nears, you'll find a clamor to include fresh award types to acknowledge overlooked contributions and fill the passions of followers with niche passions.

Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. Here's the proposal: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents a necessary evil within the realm of video games, showing incredible range they barely qualify a single creative category.

To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.

Present Award Structure

Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.

Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Examine these examples from outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.

Acknowledgment Issues

Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match for categories like Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive small studio competitions.

• An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category that year
• Another imaginative release was excluded during that ceremony
• Well-received sorting experience got ignored that year
• Just some brain-teasers managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories

Value of Brain-Teasers

Frequently they represent small games, however the design of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for over a decade.

The iconic tile-matching title rivals well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it additionally competes for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.

The Solution and Justification

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.

And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier interactive creation, producing among the purest expressions of the video game form. Just like film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Don't make them wait decades.