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As any prominent awards ceremony approaches, there’s always a demand to include additional classifications to acknowledge unsung work and satisfy the passions of followers dedicated to specific genres.

A fellow writer has already made for a horror game category. That would rule. So would board games, this being a passionate advocate's mission. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I possess a compelling case supporting my request remains most pressing and important of all. Here's the proposal: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.

The Genre Classification Challenge

Classifying creative works defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments and end in fuzzy definitions. There’s a reason film award organizations avoid this approach. Yet it remains a necessary evil in the world of interactive entertainment, that demonstrate such variety it's challenging to consider them a single creative category.

To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, and to ensure all game types to have a chance for representation, specific award classifications remain vital.

Present Award Structure

The major gaming awards offer these genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Between them, these award types effectively encompass numerous genres, allowing placement for most games within them.

This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Think about these recent excellent titles, all very different: the architectural riddles from a specific release, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, thought-provoking social scenarios of a third title. Which classification works among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.

Recognition Challenges

Many instances occur excellent brain-teasers released every year without proper recognition in entertainment awards, unless they happen to qualify award groups including Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.

• An iconic brain-teaser received no recognition completely that year
• Another creative title received no nominations that year
• A beloved organization game was overlooked that year
• Limited numbers of brain-teasers scraped into niche award types

Value of Brain-Teasers

Frequently they represent small games, however the design of the puzzle game holds tremendous importance. Well-known matching games count as the most-played games globally maintaining this status for over a decade.

The iconic tile-matching title competes with popular creative games claiming status as highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running as greatest title ever. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.

Proposal and Rationale

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter such difficulty. One could readily select a field of five with fascinating, diverse, deserving games each ceremony simply — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent so many good games out.

And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Puzzle game makers are working at the challenging frontier game development, developing some of the purest expressions within interactive entertainment. Just like film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Let’s not keep them waiting decades.