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Alright, how did you experience this year in your family? Could it be described as entirely positive as you pretended on social media? Overflowing with top marks for the kids and wild costume birthday parties for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a ocean of letdowns with only occasional entertaining moments? Is any of this authentic, or are we all seven-fingered virtual entities with unrealistic teeth?

I've corralled my thoughts for a chat, ready or not, to debate the most important thing in twelve months: which video games we were obsessed with the most. Without further ado:

Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"This isn't my definitive list."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find decent healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In reality."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Title Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her avatar has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.

Release the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at 82%. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Game I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to toughen him up so he can mature and play games for adults. It's a classic 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 incredible. More impressive than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted deck building 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 see it is all just an attempt to suck you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling 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 holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a bit of backlash when I mentioned 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 art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the reader who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I mention that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a punishingly tough Metroidvania-esque 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 is beautiful and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my mid-fifties. I was around back when all 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 questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Close call between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious and unpleasant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names bellowed from the back door at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or doomscrolling, but it is sore like hellfire 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.