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Sunday, October 11, 2026
NeatDesk Blog

Tetris Couldn't Win at The Game Awards — Another Award Type Could Fix That

Whenever a major awards ceremony nears, there’s always an outcry for introducing fresh award types to honor unsung work and satisfy the spirits of enthusiasts with niche passions.

Another commentator made the case advocating for terror-themed awards. That would rule. Equally deserving are tabletop games, this being a dedicated supporter's campaign. But they will have to forgive me when I prioritize since similar to dedicated enthusiasts, there's a strong justification for why my demand stands as crucial and important of all. The demand is this: There should be a classification for brain-teasing titles.

Categorizing Game Types

Categorizing art by genre is not a science; it’s very subjective, and inevitably generate discussions concluding with vague boundaries. This explains why film award organizations avoid this approach. However, it represents an unavoidable compromise in the world of gaming, which are so diverse they hardly constitute 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, specific award classifications remain vital.

Current Gaming Award Categories

Leading game ceremonies offer these award types recognizing Action, Adventure-action titles, Role-Playing, Fighting, Simulation and strategy titles, and Sports/Racing games. Together, these six categories effectively encompass numerous genres, allowing placement accommodating various experiences.

Not so for puzzle games. No appropriate category exists for their placement. Think about these recent excellent titles, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition from another release, engaging interpersonal challenges from additional release. What category would fit them among existing types? Unfortunately, nowhere.

Acknowledgment Issues

Numerous examples exist excellent brain-teasers launched regularly lacking appropriate categories in entertainment awards, if they accidentally match award groups including Mobile Game, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.

  • One classic puzzle game wasn’t nominated in any category during that awards season
  • Another creative title was excluded during that ceremony
  • Popular arranging title received no acknowledgment in 2021
  • Just some logic titles scraped into small studio or handheld classifications

Value of Brain-Teasers

These are often compact experiences, but the art of the puzzle game is of massive significance. Famous handheld logic titles count as most engaged experiences globally maintaining this status for many years.

The famous puzzle experience challenges popular creative games for the title of highest-selling title ever; it also contends for top gaming experience. Brain-teasers form essential building blocks to the art of video games, and engaging with diverse game types.

Proposal and Rationale

Brain-teasers wouldn't encounter this problem. One could readily select multiple candidates with fascinating, diverse, deserving games annually without trouble — actually, with challenge, since numerous excellent numerous deserving experiences.

And to reiterate, these are games lacking appropriate categories in important events. Logic title developers function at the hard edge interactive creation, developing some of essential manifestations of gaming itself. Just like movie stunt professionals, they merit acknowledgment. We shouldn't delay decades.

Written by

Stephanie Flores

A productivity consultant and workspace designer with over a decade of experience helping professionals optimize their environments.

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