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Whenever a prominent honors show nears, you'll find an outcry for introducing additional classifications to honor overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of fans dedicated to specific genres.

Another commentator made the case for a horror game category. That would rule. So would strategy board titles, which is a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance when I prioritize just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I possess a compelling case for why my demand stands as crucial above others. The demand is this: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Organizing artistic expressions defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and it will always generate discussions and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that film award organizations avoid this approach. But it is a necessary evil within the realm of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.

To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, genre categories are essential.

Present Award Structure

Prominent interactive entertainment events currently feature classifications covering Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these classifications successfully include numerous genres, making space possible for most games within them.

Not so for puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Which classification works within current classifications? Unfortunately, nowhere.

Acknowledgment Issues

There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games published annually lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging independent game categories.

• A renowned logic title wasn’t nominated in any category in 2014
• Another creative title was excluded that year
• A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
• Just some puzzle games scraped into independent or mobile categories

Significance of Puzzle Games

Frequently they represent modest productions, but the art of the puzzle game carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as the most-played games in the world and have been for over a decade.

The iconic tile-matching title competes with famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, while interacting with diverse game types.

The Solution and Justification

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these are games without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators operate at the hard edge game development, developing some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.