🔗 Share this article

Alright, how did you experience the past year in your family? Could it be described as entirely positive as one might claim on online? Full of A-grades for the kids and riotous dress-up celebrations for the adults? Or perhaps it was a sea of disappointment with only occasional enjoyable moments? And was any of it actually real, or is everyone now AI-generated virtual entities with unrealistic teeth?

I've corralled the family together, willing or unwilling, to reflect on the crucial thing in any given year: which releases we enjoyed the most. So here goes:

Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"This isn't my personal ranking."

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

"Digitally?"

"In reality."

Release Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. 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 immersed in Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her avatar has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game.

Release the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

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

Release I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can be a man and play games for adults. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is incredible. 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 exceptionally well-crafted deck building digital pastime, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that endlessly add to their range is you eventually realize and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it was deleted.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a classic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life.

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

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just was short on the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was last year's breakout game, but I was a late adopter. And it is incredible. It just gets absolutely everything right. The core concept is a brilliant concept, but the powers behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute peak of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a wave of criticism when I wrote about 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 art, sound, acting – which I recognized even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I present that in the exact way, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a brutally difficult exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". How delightful. I get that it has great art and is perfection if you are into the genre, 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'm over it. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Debate between business deals that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both ethically dubious and repugnant.

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 called from the back door at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or endless scrolling, but it is sore like hellfire 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 stretch time until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.