The Iconic Puzzle Game Didn't Win at The Game Awards — A New Category Might Solve This

Each time a major awards ceremony approaches, one notices an outcry for the addition fresh award types to recognize underappreciated efforts and delight the passions of fans who have specialized interests.

Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be an award type for logic-based games.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and inevitably spark debates concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession in the world of video games, showing incredible range they hardly constitute as a single art form.

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

Present Award Structure

Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for most games within them.

This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, each quite distinct: building puzzles in a particular game, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.

Acknowledgment Issues

Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly without proper recognition during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.

  • An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked in any category during that awards season
  • Another creative title was excluded that year
  • Popular arranging title was overlooked that year
  • Just some logic titles barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications

Value of Brain-Teasers

These are often small games, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games stand as most popular titles worldwide and have been for an extended period.

The famous puzzle experience challenges well-known building titles competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with almost every other genre.

Proposal and Rationale

Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, because you’d have to leave numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers function at the challenging frontier of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.

Samantha Rodriguez
Samantha Rodriguez

Lena Voss is a full-stack developer and writer who advocates for minimalist tech stacks.