Alright, what did you think of 2025 in your home? Could it be described as entirely positive as one might claim on online? Overflowing with A-grades for your offspring and riotous themed fancy dress celebrations for the adults? Or perhaps it was a swamp of frustration with only rare entertaining moments? Is any of this authentic, or have we all become AI-generated AI slop beings with unrealistic teeth?
I've assembled the family together, ready or not, to reflect on the paramount thing in any given year: which video games we were obsessed with the most. Without further ado:
Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most
Horizon Zero Dawn
"Why can't you pick just one?"
"You can't expect my personal ranking."
In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for adequate healthcare."
"Virtually?"
"In the actual world."
Game Middle Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I refuse to play games on my phone." He was offended that the question was posed. Fair enough.
Title Third Daughter Played the Most
Resident Evil Biohazard
Her goal is to get into theatre school, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her older sibling has outside the game.
Title the Wife Played the Most
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She started 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 remove pins.
Release I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing
Minecraft
Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to prepare him so he can grow up and play games for adults. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.
Most Skilled Gaming Family Member of the Year
Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024
She was the clear winner for this one. She is unstoppable. Superior 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 exceptionally well-crafted strategy wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.
Title I Wish I Had Played Less
Marvel Snap
The catch about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day and see it is all just an attempt to suck 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 iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the off. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life.
Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)
Blue Prince
I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it needed earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after evening drinks.
Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It
Balatro
I acknowledge Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play at any hour. Throw in the charm of the card design, and this is an true peak of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.
Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I experienced a bit of backlash 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 valued even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you 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 verbatim, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an astute judge of character.
Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Sure. Give me a punishingly tough non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I acknowledge that it is beautiful 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 adulthood. I was around back when many games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.
Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025
Debate between business deals that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible and unpleasant.
Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More
Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the back door at bedtime.
Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming
Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or phone use, but it aches like hellfire 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 make 2026 last until the end of days.
Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036
The Witcher 4.
