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Whenever a major prize-giving event approaches, there’s always an outcry to include of new categories to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.

A fellow writer made the case for a horror game category. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are tabletop games, representing a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward because like all blinkered fanatics, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.

Categorizing Game Types

Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why movie academies steer clear of genre categories. But it is a necessary evil for the industry of video games, which are so diverse they hardly constitute a single creative category.

For comprehensive acknowledgment of achievement in video games to receive acknowledgment, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.

Existing Game Classification System

Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.

This doesn't apply to puzzle games. No appropriate category exists to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. Which classification works among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.

The Representation Problem

Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually that have no home at major award shows, unless they happen to qualify classification types such as Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.

• One classic puzzle game received no recognition for anything that year
• A different innovative game was excluded in 2019
• Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment recently
• Just some puzzle games scraped into independent or mobile categories

Significance of Puzzle Games

Commonly they're small games, but the art in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most engaged experiences in the world maintaining this status for many years.

The famous puzzle experience challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become most purchased experience; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation across multiple categories.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, because you’d have to leave so many good games out.

To emphasize again, these represent titles without proper classification in important events. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of most fundamental forms of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay generations.