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Well, how did you experience the past year in your home? Could it be described as truly wonderful as one might claim on online? Overflowing with academic success for the children and elaborate themed fancy dress gatherings for the parents? Or was it a sea of frustration with only sporadic fun highlights? Is any of this genuine, or is everyone now seven-fingered AI slop beings with unrealistic teeth?

I've assembled everyone for a chat, ready or not, to discuss the most important thing in any given year: what titles we enjoyed the most. So here goes:

Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my definitive list."

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

"Digitally?"

"In reality."

Game Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. I respect that.

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into theatre school, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was playing Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has in real life.

Title the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent 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 unscrew pins.

Game I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can grow up and play games for grownups. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better 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 insanely well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch 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 fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it was deleted.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a legendary franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the wee small hours after evening drinks.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets absolutely everything right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the effects behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Throw in the wittiness 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 nothing to do but play it.

Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a wave of criticism when I critiqued how a technical issue in another game soured 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 experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I mention that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a brutally difficult exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I understand that it is beautiful and is perfection if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my current stage of life. I was around back when many 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 outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both ethically dubious and unpleasant.

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 bellowed 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 phone use, but it burns like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected back in the 90s.

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 heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.