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Tetris Wouldn't Succeed at The Game Awards — Another Award Type May Address This Issue

Each time a significant honors show approaches, you'll find a clamor for introducing fresh award types to acknowledge unsung work and fill the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.

Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. The same goes for board games, representing someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize because like all dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification backing this proposal stands as crucial above others. The demand is this: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and it will always start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. There’s a reason movie academies don’t do it. But it is a necessary evil in the world of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.

For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, genre categories are essential.

Existing Game Classification System

The major gaming awards currently feature classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications successfully include many game types, allowing placement for most games within them.

Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, each quite distinct: structural challenges of one title, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.

Acknowledgment Issues

There are dozens excellent brain-teasers released every year lacking appropriate categories at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive Indie races.

  • An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
  • Another imaginative release was excluded that year
  • Popular arranging title was overlooked that year
  • Just some puzzle games scraped into niche award types

Value of Brain-Teasers

Frequently they represent modest productions, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Well-known matching games count as most popular titles in the world and have been for over a decade.

The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, while interacting with diverse game types.

The Solution and Justification

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. You could fill five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.

To emphasize again, these are games lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators function at the challenging frontier game development, producing among essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.

The writer

Tamara Page

A Toronto-based writer and cultural enthusiast with a passion for exploring Canada's diverse communities and sharing engaging stories.

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