We made our own 2024 Game Awards expansion pack with 5 new categories

digitaltrends.com:

In the lead-up to last year’s Game Awards, we noted that the ceremony could use some new categories. We felt that the current list was starting to feel lacking, especially as a shifting game industry has moved more toward remakes, early access launches, and more. We secretly hoped that someone running the show would take those suggestions to heart and adopt them. That didn’t happen with this year’s nominations, leading to all sorts of discourse about whether a DLC should be considered for Game of the Year and when is the right time to include it.

So we’ve taken matters into our own hands: welcome to Digital Trends’ 2024 Game Awards Expansion Pack!

In the spirit of a good DLC (or maybe an unofficial mod, more accurately), we’ve created five extra categories that you won’t see at this year’s Game Awards in December. Our aim is to cover a few holes that the real show has forgotten, including honors for forgotten genres and early access games. This year’s extra nominees range from small-scale indies to some heavy hitters competing at the real Game Awards. Though this isn’t an official part of the show, we plan to make it a new tradition here — at least until the real ceremony steals our thunder.

• What’s new in June 2024: 7 upcoming games to keep an eye on
• What’s new in May 2024: 7 games that you need to play this month
• The Game Awards could use some new categories, so we made them ourselves

Best Puzzle Game

The nominees

• Isles of Sea & Sky
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
• The Rise of the Golden Idol
• Riven
• Wilmot Works It Out

While many genres are covered by The Game Awards’ categories, there isn’t a good fit for puzzle games. The ceremony’s restrictive Action Adventure category bars out games like Islands of Insight that feature no combat. So this year, we’re writing that wrong and honoring some of the year’s best. From the Link’s Awakening-inspired box pushing ofIsles of Sea & Sky to the quiet joy of Wilmot Works it Out, these five games take