Tetris Couldn't Win at This Gaming Ceremony — Another Award Type Could Fix That

As any major honors show draws close, there’s always an outcry for introducing fresh award types to acknowledge unsung work and fill the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.

A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front because like all blinkered fanatics, I possess a compelling case for why my demand stands as crucial and significant. The demand is this: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Classifying creative works isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and it will always start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that film award organizations steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium.

To recognize the complete range of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.

Present Award Structure

The major gaming awards offer these award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Between them, these award types successfully include numerous genres, allowing placement for numerous titles.

Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to accommodate them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching in a different title, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.

Recognition Challenges

There are dozens outstanding logic titles released every year that have no home in entertainment awards, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested independent game categories.

• A renowned logic title received no recognition completely in 2014
• A different innovative game missed out during that ceremony
• A beloved organization game received no acknowledgment that year
• Only a few logic titles barely qualified for niche award types

Importance of Logic Titles

Commonly they're compact experiences, yet the craft in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games in the world and have been for over a decade.

The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Logic titles represent cornerstones to the art of video games, and engaging with diverse game types.

Proposal and Rationale

Logic titles wouldn't face such difficulty. It would be easy to populate multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent so many good games out.

And to reiterate, these represent titles without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Comparable to film action specialists, they merit acknowledgment. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.