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Well, what did you think of 2025 in your household? Was it entirely positive as you pretended on social media? Overflowing with academic success for your offspring and riotous costume birthday parties for the parents? Maybe it felt like a ocean of letdowns with only occasional fun highlights? And was any of it authentic, or are we all digitally altered AI slop beings with unrealistic dental work?

I've corralled my thoughts together, willing or unwilling, to debate the crucial thing in any given year: which video games we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started:

Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"This isn't my personal ranking."

In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In the actual world."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that the question was posed. Point taken.

Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where the Shark has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

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. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Title I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can grow up and play games for mature audiences. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. Superior 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 insanely well-crafted strategy wizard’s poker, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that endlessly add to their range is you eventually realize and see it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a iconic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just was short on the time or headspace to give it what it required earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after family time.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was last year's breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a brilliant concept, but the abilities behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind 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 endured a bit of backlash when I wrote about how a technical issue in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I valued even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I present that verbatim, because I respect the passion, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a punishingly tough non-linear thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". How delightful. I understand that it is beautiful and is perfection 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 many games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Close call between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names bellowed from the back door at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or endless scrolling, but it is sore like anything 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.