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Well, how did you experience this year in your home? Could it be described as truly wonderful as one might claim on online? Overflowing with top marks for the children and wild themed fancy dress celebrations for the parents? Or perhaps it was a ocean of frustration with only sporadic enjoyable highlights? Could any part be actually real, or is everyone now seven-fingered AI slop beings with perfect dental work?

I have gathered everyone together, ready or not, to discuss the paramount thing in any given year: what titles we were obsessed with the most. So here goes:

Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"This isn't my personal ranking."

Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find decent healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In real life."

Game Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in 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 acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her avatar has a successful utopia with far better healthcare than her older sibling has in the real world.

Title the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at 60% completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Title I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is a machine. Superior than I was at classic rhythm games 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 digital pastime, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that endlessly add to their range is you eventually realize and understand it is all just an attempt to suck you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life.

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

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after evening drinks.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was the previous year's surprise hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Add in the charm of the card design, and this is an absolute high-water mark of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a bit of backlash when I mentioned how a glitch in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after playing 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 "bitter, confused resentment". I share that verbatim, because I respect the passion, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". What a joy. I get that it looks ace and is flawless 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’ve had enough. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Debate between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and expensive game releases. Both morally indefensible and concerning.

Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names shouted from the garden at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or doomscrolling, but it burns like hellfire 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 wait patiently until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.