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Alright, how did you experience the past year in your family? Could it be described as all as good as people post on social media? Packed with top marks for your offspring and elaborate themed fancy dress birthday parties for the adults? Maybe it felt like a sea of frustration with only sporadic enjoyable flotsam? Is any of this actually real, or are we all digitally altered synthetic personas with celebrity dental work?

I've corralled the family together, willing or unwilling, to reflect on the paramount thing in a calendar year: which video games we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Title First Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"This isn't my definitive list."

On her phone, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In real life."

Title Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. I respect that.

Release 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 immersed in Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a thriving utopia with significantly better healthcare than her big sister has in real life.

Game the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at 60% completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. 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 Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to build character so he can grow up and play games for adults. 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 a machine. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted card game wizard’s poker, 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 frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and understand it is all just an attempt to trap you with compulsion-based microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my demons so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the mental bandwidth to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different joker cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play any time. Add in the charm 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 Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a specific bug in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I appreciated even more after experiencing 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 present that in the exact way, because I respect the passion, and they are obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a punishingly tough Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". What a joy. I understand that it looks ace and is ideal if you are into the genre, 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'm over it. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Toss-up between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, 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 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 video games or doomscrolling, but it is sore like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 stretch time until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.