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Alright, how did you experience the past year in your home? Did it seem all as good as people post on social media? Full of academic success for your offspring and wild dress-up celebrations for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a ocean of disappointment with only sporadic fun moments? Could any part be genuine, or are we all AI-generated virtual entities with perfect dental work?

I've corralled the family for a chat, willing or unwilling, to debate the most important thing in any given year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Release First Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"You can't expect my games column."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In the actual world."

Release Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He seemed insulted that the question was posed. I respect that.

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is 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 thriving utopia with significantly better healthcare than her big sister has in real life.

Title the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Release I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can grow up and play games for adults. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is a machine. More impressive than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted card game digital pastime, with its ever-changing 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 realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So love turned to hate 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. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could deal with my demons so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just didn’t have the time or headspace to give it what it needed earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was last year's breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is exceptional. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an absolute peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Game I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a bit of backlash 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 production values – which I appreciated even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I present that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and they are obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a punishingly tough non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". Great fun. I acknowledge that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when many games were like this, and I'm over it. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between questionable alliances that caused concern, and premium pricing. Both morally indefensible and repugnant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the garden at bedtime.

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 doomscrolling, but it aches like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 stretch time until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.