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Well, how was 2025 in your home? Could it be described as truly wonderful as you pretended on Facebook? Packed with academic success for the children and riotous costume gatherings for the parents? Maybe it felt like a sea of frustration with only sporadic fun highlights? Could any part be genuine, or is everyone now digitally altered virtual entities with unrealistic smiles?

I've corralled the family for a chat, ready or not, to debate the paramount thing in twelve months: which releases we played the most. Without further ado:

Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my personal ranking."

On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate reasonable healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In real life."

Game Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He was offended that the question was posed. Fair enough.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into drama school, but when she wasn’t singing, 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 older sibling has in the real world.

Release the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he objects, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. More impressive than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted deck building digital pastime, with its ever-changing 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 wake up one day and see it is all just an attempt to suck you into 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

Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the off. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to give it what it required earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the wee small hours after family time.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets absolutely everything 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 literally would play at any hour. Throw in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Backlash 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 gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I recognized even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I present that verbatim, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a bastard-hard exploration-focused thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". Great fun. I acknowledge that it has great art and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my current stage of life. I was around back when most games were like this, and I'm over it. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Toss-up between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the back door at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or endless scrolling, but it aches like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 make 2026 last until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.