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So, what did you think of the past year in your household? Did it seem all as good as one might claim on online? Overflowing with top marks for the children and wild dress-up celebrations for the parents? Or was it a sea of disappointment with only occasional enjoyable moments? Could any part be actually real, or have we all become seven-fingered synthetic personas with celebrity smiles?

I've assembled everyone for a reflection, willing or unwilling, to discuss the crucial thing in a calendar year: what titles we were obsessed with the most. So here goes:

Game First Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"You can't expect my games column."

On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate reasonable healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In real life."

Title Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Title Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her character has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.

Title the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Title I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to toughen him up so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. Even better than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted card game competitive game, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that endlessly add to 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

Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the late night after family time.

Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was 2024’s breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Combine that with the cleverness of the card design, and this is an absolute pinnacle of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a glitch in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I valued even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I share that verbatim, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an sharp 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 "look around". Great fun. I acknowledge that it looks ace and is flawless if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less 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 so was many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Toss-up between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both ethically dubious and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names shouted from the back door 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 endless scrolling, but it is sore 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 wait patiently until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.