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Whenever a major prize-giving event draws close, one notices an outcry for the addition fresh award types to honor overlooked contributions and satisfy the passions of fans with niche passions.

Another commentator has already made advocating for terror-themed awards. That would be fantastic. The same goes for board games, which is a passionate advocate's mission. But they will have to forgive me for pushing forward just as with other dedicated enthusiasts, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request remains most pressing and significant. This is the request: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Classifying creative works is not a science; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason movie academies avoid this approach. But it is an unavoidable compromise in the world of video games, that demonstrate such variety they barely qualify one unified medium.

For comprehensive acknowledgment of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.

Present Award Structure

Leading game ceremonies currently feature award types recognizing Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Combat games, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these six categories actually cover many game types, allowing placement for numerous titles.

Not so for brain-teasing titles. No suitable classification appears to put them. Examine these examples from this year’s best games, all very different: building puzzles of one title, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.

Acknowledgment Issues

There are dozens excellent brain-teasers published annually that have no home at major award shows, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, and the highly challenging small studio competitions.

• A renowned logic title received no recognition for anything in 2014
• Another creative title was excluded that year
• Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment that year
• Only a few logic titles scraped into niche award types

Value of Brain-Teasers

Commonly they're modest productions, but the art in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Well-known matching games rank among most engaged experiences globally and have been for many years.

The iconic tile-matching title challenges well-known building titles competing to become most purchased experience; it additionally competes as greatest title ever. Logic titles represent cornerstones for gaming as medium, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.

The Solution and Justification

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. It would be easy to populate a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — or rather, with difficulty, given the need to exclude many worthy titles.

To emphasize again, these include experiences lacking appropriate categories in important events. Brain-teaser creators function at the demanding boundary interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Similar to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait 35 years.