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Well, how did you experience this year in your household? Could it be described as entirely positive as you pretended on social media? Full of A-grades for your offspring and elaborate dress-up birthday parties for the parents? Or was it a swamp of frustration with only rare fun moments? Is any of this actually real, or are we all AI-generated synthetic personas with celebrity teeth?

I've corralled the family together, willing or unwilling, to debate the paramount thing in any given year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Game First Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"You can't expect my definitive list."

On her phone, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In reality."

Game Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that the question was posed. Point taken.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into theatre school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was playing Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where the Shark has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

Release the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Title I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can grow up and play games for adults. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is a machine. Superior than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted card game competitive game, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that constantly evolve their range is you have a moment of clarity and understand it is all just an attempt to suck you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my demons so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the mental bandwidth to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was the previous year's sleeper hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is incredible. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true pinnacle of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I appreciated even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I present that as written, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I understand that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my current stage of life. I was around back when most games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both ethically dubious and unpleasant.

Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the doorstep at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or endless scrolling, but it aches like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured back in the 90s.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2026

Grand Theft Auto VI.
And it will come out in 2026, even if we have to stretch time until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.