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So, how did you experience this year in your home? Did it seem entirely positive as one might claim on Facebook? Overflowing with A-grades for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress birthday parties for the grownups? Or was it a swamp of frustration with only rare fun highlights? Is any of this genuine, or is everyone now seven-fingered AI slop beings with unrealistic teeth?

I've assembled everyone together, whether they wanted to or not, to reflect on the most important thing in any given year: which video games we played the most. Without further ado:

Title Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"It’s not my definitive list."

On her phone, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for adequate healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In real life."

Release Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. Fair enough.

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 elaborated in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a successful utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her older sibling has in the real world.

Game the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year 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.

Title I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he objects, I reply that I am behaving this way to build character so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. Even better than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted card game competitive game, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and understand it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So affection became resentment 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. Engrossing atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this stunning, original game and I just lacked the mental bandwidth to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was 2024’s sleeper hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets every single thing right. Crazy Poker is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Throw in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite pinnacle of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a bit of backlash when I wrote about how a specific bug in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I recognized even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I present that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a bastard-hard exploration-focused thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". Great fun. I get that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my adulthood. I was around back when all games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Debate between business deals that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible 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 called from the garden at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or endless scrolling, but it aches like the mines of sulphur 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 make 2026 last until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.