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Tetris Didn't Succeed at This Gaming Ceremony — Another Award Type Might Solve This

Each time a prominent awards ceremony nears, you'll find an outcry to include of new categories to honor unsung work and fill the passions of followers who have specialized interests.

A fellow writer previously argued supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. However, I must insist when I prioritize just as with other blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial and significant. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an essential concession within the realm of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.

For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.

Existing Game Classification System

Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications successfully include many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.

Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Examine these examples from recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.

Acknowledgment Issues

Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive Indie races.

  • A renowned logic title got overlooked completely during that awards season
  • Another imaginative release was excluded during that ceremony
  • Well-received sorting experience got ignored in 2021
  • Limited numbers of puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories

Value of Brain-Teasers

These are often modest productions, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles rank among most engaged experiences globally and have been for an extended period.

The legendary block-stacking game competes with well-known building titles claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary of video game design, producing among essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting generations.

Written by

Katherine Chen

Award-winning journalist with over 15 years of experience covering media and technology, currently based in London.

Media UK

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