Tetris Didn't Triumph at This Gaming Ceremony — A New Category May Address This Issue

Each time a prominent honors show nears, you'll find an outcry to include fresh award types to recognize underappreciated efforts and satisfy the hearts of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.

A fellow writer made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, representing a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward just as with other single-minded supporters, there's a strong justification for why my demand remains most pressing above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create a classification for brain-teasing titles.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of gaming, which are so diverse they barely qualify as a single art form.

For the full spectrum of gaming accomplishments to receive acknowledgment, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.

Existing Game Classification System

Leading game ceremonies presently include genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these award types effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.

Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. What category would fit them within current classifications? Simply put, no category fits.

Acknowledgment Issues

Numerous examples exist of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify for categories like Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, and the highly challenging independent game categories.

  • A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything during that awards season
  • Another imaginative release was excluded that year
  • Popular arranging title was overlooked recently
  • Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories

Value of Brain-Teasers

These are often small games, however the design in brain-teasers holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as most engaged experiences worldwide and have been for over a decade.

The famous puzzle experience challenges famous sandbox experiences competing to become best-selling game of all time; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting with almost every other genre.

The Solution and Justification

Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. You could fill five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge interactive creation, creating some of the purest expressions of gaming itself. Comparable to film action specialists, they warrant appreciation. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.

Maria Jackson
Maria Jackson

A seasoned gaming journalist with over a decade of experience covering console launches and indie game developments across Europe.