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Alright, how did you experience the past year in your family? Could it be described as truly wonderful as one might claim on Facebook? Full of A-grades for the kids and wild dress-up celebrations for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a ocean of letdowns with only sporadic entertaining flotsam? Is any of this genuine, or are we all AI-generated synthetic personas with perfect dental work?

I have gathered my thoughts together, ready or not, to reflect on the crucial thing in a calendar year: which releases we played the most. So here goes:

Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my personal ranking."

Meanwhile, on mobile, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In real life."

Title Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He was offended that I even asked. Point taken.

Release Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into theatre school, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was playing Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her character has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game.

Title the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started 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. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Release I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

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

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is incredible. More impressive 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 strategy digital pastime, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day 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 got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful 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 deserved earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the early morning after family time.

Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different joker 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 absolute high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a wave of criticism when I wrote about how a glitch in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I recognized even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I mention that in the exact way, because I respect the passion, and they are obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a bastard-hard exploration-focused thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". How delightful. I acknowledge that it has great art and is flawless if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my current stage of life. I was around back when most games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that caused concern, and premium pricing. 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 be unique names called from the garden at dinner 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 endless scrolling, but it aches like hellfire 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 heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.