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Well, what did you think of 2025 in your home? Was it all as good as one might claim on online? Overflowing with A-grades for the children and wild costume gatherings for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a swamp of letdowns with only occasional entertaining highlights? Is any of this actually real, or have we all become digitally altered AI slop beings with perfect teeth?

I have gathered the family for a chat, willing or unwilling, to reflect on the paramount thing in a calendar year: what titles we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Release First Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"This isn't my personal ranking."

Meanwhile, on mobile, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In the actual world."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Release Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is 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 her character has a successful utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.

Game the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at 60% 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.

Title I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am behaving this way to build character so he can be a man 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

There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. Superior 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 strategy competitive game, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that endlessly add to their range is you eventually realize and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with compulsion-based microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the off. I wish I could eviscerate my issues so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the early morning after family time.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different joker cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an absolute pinnacle of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a bit of backlash when I mentioned how a technical issue in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I recognized even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I mention that as written, because I appreciate the effort, and she 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 Metroidvania-esque thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I understand that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my adulthood. I was around back when most games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that raised eyebrows, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious 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 make interesting names bellowed from the doorstep at dinner 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 phone use, but it burns like the mines of sulphur 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 wait patiently until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.