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Well, how did you experience the past year in your household? Was it all as good as people post on social media? Overflowing with academic success for the kids and elaborate costume gatherings for the parents? Or was it a ocean of frustration with only occasional fun flotsam? Is any of this genuine, or are we all digitally altered synthetic personas with unrealistic smiles?

I have gathered the family together, whether they wanted to or not, to debate the crucial thing in twelve months: what titles we were obsessed with the most. So here goes:

Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"This isn't my personal ranking."

In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In real life."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I even asked. I respect that.

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into theatre school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her character has a successful utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her older sibling has in real life.

Title the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at 82%. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Release I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to toughen him up so he can grow up and play games for grownups. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close for this one. She is a machine. More impressive than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted card game digital pastime, 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 endlessly add to their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to suck you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a classic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was 2024’s breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is incredible. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I could play any time. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a wave of criticism when I critiqued how a glitch in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I recognized 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 "poorly reasoned". 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

Fine. Give me a brutally difficult exploration-focused thing and provide little 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 desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when most games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Debate between questionable alliances 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 called from the back door at dinner time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or endless scrolling, but it is sore like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected back in the day.

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 make 2026 last until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.