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Well, how did you experience the past year in your household? Could it be described as all as good as you pretended on Facebook? Packed with top marks for the kids and wild themed fancy dress birthday parties for the adults? Maybe it felt like a ocean of letdowns with only sporadic fun highlights? Is any of this genuine, or are we all seven-fingered virtual entities with perfect teeth?

I've corralled everyone together, ready or not, to debate the crucial thing in a calendar year: which video games we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started:

Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"It’s not my games column."

Meanwhile, on mobile, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In the actual world."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He was offended that I suggested it. Point taken.

Title Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into drama school, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was playing Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her older sibling has in real life.

Release the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at 60% completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for adults. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close for this one. She is incredible. More impressive than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted card game wizard’s poker, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that constantly evolve their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with 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 iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life.

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

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a specific bug in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I recognized even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I present that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a brutally difficult exploration-focused thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I acknowledge that it looks ace and is flawless if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my current stage of life. I was around back when all games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Toss-up between questionable alliances that caused concern, and premium pricing. Both ethically dubious and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names shouted from the back door 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 button mashing or doomscrolling, but it aches like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after back in the day.

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.