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So, how was this year in your family? Was it entirely positive as you pretended on Facebook? Overflowing with A-grades for the kids and riotous dress-up celebrations for the adults? Or was it a swamp of frustration with only sporadic enjoyable moments? And was any of it authentic, or is everyone now AI-generated virtual entities with celebrity dental work?

I've corralled everyone for a reflection, whether they wanted to or not, to discuss the paramount thing in twelve months: what titles we were obsessed with the most. Without further ado:

Game First Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"This isn't my games column."

On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In reality."

Game Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. Point taken.

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into acting, but when she took a break from vocals, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in real life.

Release the Spouse 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 marathon not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Game I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can grow up and play games for grownups. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. More impressive 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 exceptionally 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 worst thing about games that constantly evolve their range is you have a moment of clarity and understand it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a classic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the off. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life.

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

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just lacked the mental bandwidth to give it what it needed earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the early morning after evening drinks.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was 2024’s breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is exceptional. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a bit of backlash when I critiqued how a technical issue in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I recognized even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I share that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a bastard-hard Metroidvania-esque thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". What a joy. I understand that it looks ace and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my adulthood. I was around back when all games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that caused concern, and expensive game releases. Both morally indefensible and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names shouted from the garden at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or endless scrolling, but it is sore like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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 wait patiently until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.