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Alright, how did you experience the past year in your home? Did it seem all as good as one might claim on online? Full of A-grades for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress celebrations for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a swamp of letdowns with only rare fun moments? Could any part be authentic, or is everyone now AI-generated AI slop beings with perfect smiles?

I've corralled my thoughts together, ready or not, to debate the paramount thing in twelve months: which releases we played the most. So here goes:

Game Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"This isn't my personal ranking."

On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In the actual world."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into acting, but when she took a break from vocals, she was playing Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming 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 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 Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can be a man and play games for grownups. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better 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 remarkably well-crafted deck building digital pastime, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that constantly evolve their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it was deleted.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a classic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just lacked the mental bandwidth to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the early morning after evening drinks.

Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was the previous year's sleeper hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the effects behind the different joker cards are so inventive it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Throw in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an absolute high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a technical issue 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 valued even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the reader who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I share that verbatim, because I respect the passion, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I acknowledge that it is beautiful and is ideal if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my mid-fifties. 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 less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious and unpleasant.

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

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

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. 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 stretch time until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.