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Whenever a significant prize-giving event draws close, there’s always a clamor to include of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and delight the spirits of fans with niche passions.

A fellow writer previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would board games, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Organizing artistic expressions is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. It's understandable that film award organizations don’t do it. Yet it remains an essential concession within the realm of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety they hardly constitute as a single art form.

For the full spectrum of achievement in video games to gain proper attention, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.

Present Award Structure

Prominent interactive entertainment events offer these award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these classifications successfully include many game types, making space possible for most games within them.

This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, showing diverse approaches: building puzzles from a specific release, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.

Acknowledgment Issues

Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.

• An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely during that awards season
• Another creative title received no nominations during that ceremony
• Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment in 2021
• Limited numbers of logic titles managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories

Value of Brain-Teasers

Frequently they represent compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as most popular titles worldwide maintaining this status for an extended period.

The iconic tile-matching title rivals popular creative games claiming status as most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, and engaging across multiple categories.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select five nominees engaging, different, qualified experiences each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent so many good games out.

And to reiterate, these are games that otherwise have no home in important events. Logic title developers function at the demanding boundary game development, developing some of essential manifestations of the video game form. Just like movie stunt professionals, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting 35 years.