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Sunday, October 11, 2026
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Tetris Couldn't Succeed at The Game Awards — A New Category May Address This Issue

Each time a major honors show nears, you'll find an outcry for the addition of new categories to recognize overlooked contributions and fill the hearts of fans who have specialized interests.

Another commentator previously argued for a horror game category. That would rule. Equally deserving are strategy board titles, which is a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance for pushing forward since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument backing this proposal stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: We need a classification for brain-teasing titles.

Categorizing Game Types

Categorizing art by genre defies precise measurement; opinions vary greatly, and inevitably start arguments concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise for the industry of gaming, showing incredible range it's challenging to consider them one unified medium.

To recognize the complete range of interactive entertainment excellence to be recognized, while allowing diverse titles to have a chance for representation, classification by type becomes crucial.

Present Award Structure

Prominent interactive entertainment events presently include award types recognizing Action-oriented games, Action/Adventure, RPG experiences, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, plus athletic and racing experiences. Together, these classifications actually cover many game types, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.

This doesn't apply to brain-teasing titles. There’s simply nowhere to accommodate them. Think about these outstanding current releases, showing diverse approaches: the architectural riddles in a particular game, the pulse-pounding block-matching from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. Where could they possibly go between these six categories? Unfortunately, nowhere.

The Representation Problem

Numerous examples exist outstanding logic titles published annually that have no home during gaming ceremonies, except when they manage to fit award groups including Mobile Game, Virtual reality experiences, or the extremely competitive independent game categories.

  • A renowned logic title received no recognition in any category in 2014
  • A different innovative game was excluded during that ceremony
  • Well-received sorting experience received no acknowledgment recently
  • Limited numbers of brain-teasers managed to sneak into independent or mobile categories

Value of Brain-Teasers

Frequently they represent compact experiences, however the design behind logic titles carries substantial weight. Famous handheld logic titles stand as the most-played games in the world and have been for over a decade.

The famous puzzle experience rivals well-known building titles for the title of most purchased experience; it’s also in the running for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks within interactive entertainment, and they are in conversation with diverse game types.

Recommendation and Reasoning

Puzzle games wouldn’t have this problem. You could fill multiple candidates engaging, different, qualified experiences every year with ease — perhaps, with difficulty, given the need to exclude so many good games out.

Restating the point, these include experiences without proper classification during prominent ceremonies. Brain-teaser creators are working at the hard edge of video game design, creating some of the purest expressions of the video game form. Comparable to film action specialists, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait decades.

FY
Written by

Fernando Young

A tech enthusiast and design strategist with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and creative problem-solving.

VividField UK

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