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Saturday, October 17, 2026
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Tetris Wouldn't Win at The Game Awards — A New Category Could Fix That

Each time a prominent honors show approaches, you'll find a clamor for introducing additional classifications to honor underappreciated efforts and fill the passions of enthusiasts who have specialized interests.

Another commentator made the case supporting a scary games classification. It would be amazing. 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, there's a strong justification supporting my request stands as crucial and significant. Here's the proposal: We need an award type for logic-based games.

Organizing Gaming Categories

Classifying creative works isn't exact; opinions vary greatly, and it will always generate discussions resulting in unclear classifications. There’s a reason film award organizations don’t do it. However, it represents a necessary evil for the industry of video games, 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, while allowing diverse titles to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.

Present Award Structure

Leading game ceremonies offer these genre categories for Action, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Combat games, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these classifications effectively encompass many game types, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.

This doesn't apply to puzzle games. There’s simply nowhere for their placement. Think about these outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles of one title, intense tile-matching from another release, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Which classification works between these six categories? Simply put, no category fits.

Acknowledgment Issues

Many instances occur of brilliant puzzle games launched regularly that have no home during gaming ceremonies, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.

  • One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated completely in 2014
  • Another imaginative release received no nominations that year
  • A beloved organization game got ignored recently
  • Just some brain-teasers barely qualified for independent or mobile categories

Importance of Logic Titles

These are often modest productions, but the art in brain-teasers is of massive significance. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most engaged experiences in the world continuing this trend for many years.

The legendary block-stacking game challenges popular creative games competing to become highest-selling title ever; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks for gaming as medium, while interacting across multiple categories.

The Solution and Justification

Logic titles wouldn't face that issue. You could fill a field of five interesting, varied, worthy titles every year with ease — actually, with challenge, given the need to exclude numerous deserving experiences.

Restating the point, these include experiences without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Logic title developers are working at the hard edge interactive creation, producing among most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. We shouldn't delay generations.

The writer

Jennifer Howell

Award-winning novelist and writing coach with over a decade of experience in fiction and creative non-fiction.

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