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Each time a prominent honors show nears, you'll find a clamor for introducing additional classifications to acknowledge underappreciated efforts and fill the hearts of followers dedicated to specific genres.

My colleague previously argued for a horror game category. It would be amazing. So would board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward since similar to blinkered fanatics, there's a strong justification for why my demand is the most urgent and significant. This is the request: It's essential to create an award type for logic-based games.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Classifying creative works isn't exact; it’s very subjective, and typically spark debates resulting in unclear classifications. This explains why movie academies don’t do it. However, it represents an essential concession within the realm of gaming, which are so diverse it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.

For the full spectrum of interactive entertainment excellence to receive acknowledgment, and for games of all stripes to receive proper recognition, genre categories are essential.

Existing Game Classification System

Leading game ceremonies presently include classifications covering Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types successfully include many game types, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.

Different situation exists for logic-based experiences. No appropriate category exists to put them. Consider three of recent excellent titles, all very different: building puzzles of one title, intense tile-matching in a different title, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles in another game. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.

The Representation Problem

Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games released every year lacking appropriate categories during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Handheld titles, Virtual reality experiences, or the intensely contested Indie races.

• A renowned logic title got overlooked completely in 2014
• Another creative title was excluded that year
• A beloved organization game got ignored recently
• Just some brain-teasers scraped into independent or mobile categories

Importance of Logic Titles

These are often modest productions, however the design behind logic titles holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games stand as the most-played games worldwide and have been for an extended period.

The iconic tile-matching title challenges popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it also contends for best game of all time. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and engaging with diverse game types.

The Solution and Justification

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these represent titles that otherwise have no home during prominent ceremonies. Puzzle game makers function at the demanding boundary of video game design, developing some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they merit acknowledgment. Don't make them wait generations.