🔗 Share this article Tetris Didn't Win at The Game Awards — Another Award Type Could Fix That As any prominent honors show draws close, you'll find a demand for introducing fresh award types to honor unsung work and fill the spirits of enthusiasts who have specialized interests. My colleague has already made supporting a scary games classification. That would be fantastic. Equally deserving are tabletop games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal remains most pressing above others. This is the request: We need an award type for logic-based games. The Genre Classification Challenge Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; it remains highly personal, and it will always spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. This explains why cinema institutions avoid this approach. Yet it remains an essential concession within the realm of gaming, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute one unified medium. To recognize the complete range of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital. Current Gaming Award Categories The major gaming awards presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, and Sports/Racing games. Collectively, these six categories effectively encompass many game types, and you can find room for most games within them. Not so for logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles from a specific release, intense tile-matching of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. What category would fit them among existing types? Nowhere, that’s where. The Representation Problem Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races. An iconic brain-teaser got overlooked completely in 2014 Another imaginative release was excluded during that ceremony A beloved organization game got ignored in 2021 Just some puzzle games barely qualified for independent or mobile categories Value of Brain-Teasers Commonly they're modest productions, however the design of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games rank among the most-played games worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period. The famous puzzle experience challenges popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, while interacting across multiple categories. Proposal and Rationale Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. One could readily select five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences. And to reiterate, these include experiences without proper classification at major gaming awards. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge game development, developing some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Similar to movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay 35 years.