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So, how did you experience this year in your home? Was it truly wonderful as you pretended on Facebook? Full of academic success for the children and wild dress-up celebrations for the adults? Maybe it felt like a sea of frustration with only sporadic enjoyable flotsam? Could any part be authentic, or have we all become digitally altered AI slop beings with perfect smiles?

I have gathered everyone for a reflection, ready or not, to reflect on the most important thing in a calendar year: what titles we played the most. So here goes:

Title Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"This isn't my definitive list."

On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for adequate healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In real life."

Release Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. Fair enough.

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her character has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game.

Game the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

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

Title I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can mature and play games for adults. This defines our 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. Even better than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably 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 worst thing about games that constantly evolve their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled 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 classic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after family time.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was late to it. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so inventive 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 absolute peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Game I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a glitch in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I valued even more after playing 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 mention that verbatim, because I appreciate the effort, and he is obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a punishingly tough non-linear thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". What a joy. I get that it has great art and is ideal 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 most games were like this, and I'm over it. It was fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Close call between business deals that sparked debate, and high launch costs. 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 sound good names shouted from the back door 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 video games or endless scrolling, but it burns like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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.