🔗 Share this article

So, what did you think of the past year in your home? Could it be described as all as good as you pretended on online? Packed with A-grades for the kids and wild themed fancy dress gatherings for the grownups? Or was it a ocean of frustration with only sporadic entertaining highlights? And was any of it genuine, or is everyone now AI-generated synthetic personas with celebrity teeth?

I've assembled everyone for a chat, ready or not, to discuss the paramount thing in a calendar year: which video games we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"It’s not my games column."

Meanwhile, on mobile, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In real life."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He was offended that the question was posed. Fair enough.

Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

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

Title the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at 60% completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Release I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever 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 doing this to build character so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close for this one. She is unstoppable. Superior than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted deck building digital pastime, with its constantly evolving 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 realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the start. 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 refuse to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. The core concept is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play any time. Combine that with the cleverness of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a wave of criticism when I mentioned how a technical issue in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I valued even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I mention that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a punishingly tough Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". What a joy. I understand that it has great art 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 all games were like this, and I'm over it. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Debate between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible 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 shouted 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 button mashing 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 past.

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 end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.