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Alright, how was this year in your home? Did it seem entirely positive as one might claim on social media? Overflowing with top marks for the children and elaborate dress-up celebrations for the parents? Maybe it felt like a swamp of frustration with only sporadic entertaining highlights? Is any of this actually real, or are we all seven-fingered synthetic personas with celebrity smiles?

I've corralled my thoughts together, whether they wanted to or not, to debate the most important thing in a calendar year: which releases we enjoyed the most. So here goes:

Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"You can't expect my personal ranking."

On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In reality."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. I respect that.

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a blooming utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.

Game the Wife 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 long haul not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Title I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he protests, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can grow up and play games for adults. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. 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 remarkably well-crafted card game competitive game, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that constantly evolve their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to suck you into 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

Stunning reinvention of a legendary franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life.

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

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just was short on the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the late night after family time.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I literally would play at any hour. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a bit of backlash when I wrote about 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 slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I share that as written, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a punishingly tough Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". Great fun. I acknowledge that it is beautiful and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my mid-fifties. 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 outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Debate between business deals that raised eyebrows, and expensive game releases. Both difficult to justify and unpleasant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names bellowed from the doorstep 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 console gaming or endless scrolling, 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 make 2026 last until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.