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So, how was the past year in your home? Did it seem truly wonderful as people post on Facebook? Packed with top marks for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress gatherings for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a sea of disappointment with only rare enjoyable flotsam? Is any of this authentic, or have we all become digitally altered synthetic personas with perfect dental work?

I have gathered everyone for a chat, willing or unwilling, to reflect on the most important thing in any given year: which video games we played the most. Let's get started:

Game First Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my games column."

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

"Virtually?"

"In the actual world."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He was offended that I suggested it. I respect that.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into theatre school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her older sibling has in real life.

Title 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 mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is incredible. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted strategy wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day and see it is all just an attempt to suck you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it was deleted.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the off. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful 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 deserved earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after family time.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is incredible. It just gets each element right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the powers behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an absolute peak of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a wave of criticism when I wrote about how a technical issue in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I recognized even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I mention that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a punishingly tough non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I acknowledge that it looks ace and is perfection if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my current stage of life. I was around back when many games were like this, and I'm over it. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Debate between business deals that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both morally indefensible and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names shouted from the garden 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 phone use, but it is sore like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.