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So, how did you experience the past year in your home? Could it be described as entirely positive as you pretended on Facebook? Packed with A-grades for your offspring and wild dress-up birthday parties for the grownups? Or was it a ocean of disappointment with only rare entertaining flotsam? Is any of this actually real, or have we all become AI-generated AI slop beings with perfect smiles?

I've corralled everyone for a reflection, ready or not, to debate the most important thing in any given year: which video games we played the most. Let's get started:

Release First Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"It’s not my definitive list."

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

"Digitally?"

"In real life."

Title Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. Point taken.

Release Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into drama school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her avatar has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her older sibling has in the real world.

Game the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at 60% completion and finished the year at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Game I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can mature and play games for grownups. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better 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 insanely 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 have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with compulsion-based 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 eviscerate my problems so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just didn’t have the time or headspace to give it what it needed earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a brilliant concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I mentioned 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 slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I mention that verbatim, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an excellent 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 don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I understand that it has great art and is ideal if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my adulthood. I was around back when most games were like this, and I'm over it. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names bellowed from the back door at dinner time.

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 endless scrolling, but it is sore like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.