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Alright, how did you experience the past year in your household? Could it be described as all as good as one might claim on online? Overflowing with academic success for the children and riotous dress-up gatherings for the adults? Or perhaps it was a sea of disappointment with only sporadic fun flotsam? Could any part be authentic, or have we all become seven-fingered virtual entities with celebrity dental work?

I've corralled everyone together, ready or not, to discuss the crucial thing in a calendar year: which releases we played the most. Let's get started:

Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"It’s not my definitive list."

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

"Digitally?"

"In reality."

Release Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. Point taken.

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into theatre school, but when she wasn’t singing, 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 significantly better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game.

Release the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at 82%. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Release 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 relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can mature and play games for adults. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close for this one. She is a machine. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted card game digital pastime, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that endlessly add to their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the start. 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'm unwilling to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets absolutely everything right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Throw in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an absolute high-water mark 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 Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a wave of criticism when I mentioned how a glitch in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I recognized even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I mention that in the exact way, 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 bastard-hard non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I understand that it has great art and is perfection if you are into the genre, 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 I'm over it. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between business deals that caused concern, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible and concerning.

Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Stupid Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names bellowed from the garden 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 anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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 stretch time until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.