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

Each time a significant honors show approaches, there’s always a clamor for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of followers with niche passions.

Another commentator has already made for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are board games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Organizing artistic expressions isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and typically generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies steer clear of genre categories. But it is an unavoidable compromise for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.

For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.

Existing Game Classification System

Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications actually cover a lot of ground, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.

Different situation exists for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.

Acknowledgment Issues

There are dozens excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, if they accidentally match for categories like Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.

  • An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition in any category in 2014
  • A different innovative game missed out in 2019
  • Popular arranging title got ignored in 2021
  • Just some logic titles managed to sneak into niche award types

Value of Brain-Teasers

Commonly they're small games, but the art in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among most engaged experiences in the world and have been for an extended period.

The famous puzzle experience challenges well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.

The Solution and Justification

Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. It would be easy to populate five nominees interesting, varied, worthy titles each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.

To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators operate at the hard edge game development, developing some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay decades.

Written by

Max Baker

A passionate game developer and critic with over a decade of experience in the gaming industry, specializing in indie game analysis.

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