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Well, what did you think of this year in your family? Could it be described as all as good as you pretended on social media? Full of A-grades for your offspring and wild costume gatherings for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a ocean of letdowns with only sporadic enjoyable highlights? And was any of it authentic, or is everyone now seven-fingered AI slop beings with perfect dental work?

I've assembled the family together, ready or not, to discuss the crucial thing in any given year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Title First Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"It’s not my personal ranking."

Meanwhile, on mobile, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In the actual world."

Release Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He was offended that the question was posed. I respect that.

Title 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 playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has in the real world.

Game the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent 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 remove pins.

Release I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can mature and play games for adults. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted card game competitive game, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that frequently update their range is you eventually realize and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it was deleted.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the beginning. 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 decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the early morning after family time.

Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is incredible. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Throw in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true peak of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Backlash 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 gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after experiencing 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 in the exact way, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". How delightful. I get that it looks ace and is ideal if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when many games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both ethically dubious and repugnant.

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 called from the back door at bedtime.

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 doomscrolling, but it is sore like the mines of sulphur 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 stretch time until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.