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Tetris Couldn't Win at The Game Awards — A New Category May Address This Issue

As any significant awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry for the addition of new categories to recognize unsung work and satisfy the hearts of followers who have specialized interests.

My colleague previously argued advocating for terror-themed awards. It would be amazing. So would tabletop games, this being someone's personal cause. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. The demand is this: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and it will always spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of video games, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them as a single art form.

For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to gain proper attention, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, classification by type becomes crucial.

Existing Game Classification System

Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, making space possible for most games within them.

Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles of a third title. What category would fit them among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where.

Recognition Challenges

Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers launched regularly that have no home in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested independent game categories.

  • An iconic brain-teaser wasn’t nominated for anything during that awards season
  • Another imaginative release received no nominations during that ceremony
  • Well-received sorting experience got ignored in 2021
  • Limited numbers of puzzle games scraped into niche award types

Value of Brain-Teasers

Frequently they represent modest productions, yet the craft behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games in the world and have been for over a decade.

The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles competing to become best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and engaging with diverse game types.

Proposal and Rationale

Puzzle games wouldn’t have such difficulty. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.

To emphasize again, these represent titles lacking appropriate categories at major gaming awards. Logic title developers operate at the hard edge game development, creating some of essential manifestations within interactive entertainment. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.

The writer

Daniel Anderson

A tech journalist and AI researcher with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on business innovation.

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