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Alright, what did you think of 2025 in your household? Did it seem entirely positive as people post on Facebook? Full of A-grades for the children and wild dress-up birthday parties for the parents? Or perhaps it was a swamp of disappointment with only sporadic entertaining flotsam? Is any of this actually real, or is everyone now digitally altered AI slop beings with perfect teeth?

I've corralled everyone for a chat, ready or not, to debate the crucial thing in twelve months: which video games we were obsessed with the most. So here goes:

Game Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my personal ranking."

On her phone, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "trying to find decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In reality."

Title Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that the question was posed. Point taken.

Release Youngest 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 went on in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

Game the Partner 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 phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Release I Laughed at 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 objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can be a man and play games for grownups. 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 unstoppable. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that constantly evolve their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to suck you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a legendary franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could deal with 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 lacked the time or headspace to give it what it needed earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. Crazy Poker is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I literally would play any time. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a broken-down lift 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 minor pile-on when I mentioned how a technical issue in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I valued even more after slogging through 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 present that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". Great fun. I get that it looks ace and is ideal if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my mid-fifties. I was around back when most games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Debate between corporate partnerships that caused concern, and high launch costs. 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 sound good names called 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 doomscrolling, 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 wait patiently until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.