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Alright, how was this year in your family? Did it seem entirely positive as people post on social media? Packed with top marks for your offspring and wild themed fancy dress gatherings for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a sea of letdowns with only occasional fun highlights? Could any part be authentic, or are we all seven-fingered virtual entities with perfect dental work?

I have gathered my thoughts for a reflection, ready or not, to debate the paramount thing in a calendar year: what titles we played the most. Let's get started:

Title First Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my personal ranking."

In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In real life."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Release 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 tackling Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where the Shark has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

Game the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

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

Release I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can be a man and play games for adults. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is unstoppable. More impressive than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted deck building 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 frequently update their range is you eventually realize and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a classic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after family time.

Game That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an definite peak of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have the perfect excuse 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 gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I appreciated 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 "bitter, confused resentment". I share that verbatim, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an astute 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 get that it has great art and is flawless if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my current stage of life. I was around back when many games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Debate between business deals that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names called from the doorstep at dinner 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 doomscrolling, but it burns like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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 cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.