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Alright, how did you experience the past year in your family? Was it entirely positive as one might claim on Facebook? Packed with A-grades for the children and wild costume birthday parties for the parents? Or perhaps it was a ocean of letdowns with only sporadic fun flotsam? And was any of it actually real, or have we all become digitally altered virtual entities with celebrity teeth?

I've assembled the family for a reflection, ready or not, to reflect on the paramount thing in any given year: which releases we played the most. So here goes:

Title First Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"This isn't my definitive list."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In the actual world."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

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

Title the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew 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 protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can mature and play games for adults. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member 2025

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.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted card game digital pastime, with its constantly evolving 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 see it is all just an attempt to lure you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So love turned to hate 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 beginning. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral 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 deserved earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is incredible. It just gets every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play any time. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true pinnacle of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a wave of criticism when I wrote about 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 art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I share that verbatim, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I understand that it is beautiful and is flawless 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 okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Toss-up between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and unpleasant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names bellowed from the back door at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or endless scrolling, but it is sore 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.