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So, how did you experience this year in your household? Did it seem entirely positive as you pretended on Facebook? Overflowing with top marks for the children and wild themed fancy dress celebrations for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a sea of letdowns with only occasional entertaining flotsam? Is any of this genuine, or have we all become digitally altered synthetic personas with perfect dental work?

I've corralled everyone for a reflection, willing or unwilling, to debate the paramount thing in a calendar year: which video games we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started:

Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my personal ranking."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In reality."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He was offended that I even asked. Point taken.

Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into drama school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was playing Resident Evil. She also spoke at length 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 the real world.

Release the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at 82%. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Game I Found Amusing That 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 objects, I reply that I am doing this to toughen him up so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted deck building competitive game, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that constantly evolve their range is you eventually realize and realise 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.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

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

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after evening drinks.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute peak of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a bit of backlash when I wrote about how a technical issue in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I appreciated 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 "missing the point". I mention that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an astute judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I get that it looks ace and is ideal if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my adulthood. I was around back when many games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Debate between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and unpleasant.

Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Foolish Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names called from the back door 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 video games or doomscrolling, but it is sore like anything 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 make 2026 last until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.