The Household Personal Game of the Year Roundup for The Past Year
Alright, how did you experience the past year in your home? Did it seem all as good as people post on social media? Packed with top marks for your offspring and riotous themed fancy dress birthday parties for the adults? Or was it a ocean of frustration with only occasional fun moments? Could any part be genuine, or is everyone now digitally altered synthetic personas with celebrity teeth?
I've assembled everyone for a chat, whether they wanted to or not, to discuss the paramount thing in a calendar year: which video games we played the most. Without further ado:
Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most
Horizon Zero Dawn
"Can’t you pick just one?"
"It’s not my games column."
In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare."
"In the game?"
"In reality."
Title Middle Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that the question was posed. Fair enough.
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 immersed in Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has in the real world.
Release the Spouse Played the Most
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She started the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.
Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing
Minecraft
Whenever I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. 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 Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year
Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024
She was the clear winner for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.
Title I Played the Most
Marvel Snap
It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted strategy digital pastime, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.
Game I Wish I Had Played Less
Marvel Snap
The catch about games that frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and see it is all just an attempt to trap you with 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
Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life.
Game 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 relatives staying over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the wee small hours after evening drinks.
Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It
Balatro
I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was a late adopter. And it is incredible. It just gets every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play any time. Throw in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite pinnacle of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.
Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I received a wave of criticism when I wrote about how a glitch in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I share that as written, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character.
Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Fine. Give me a brutally difficult non-linear thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I acknowledge that it looks ace and is perfection if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my current stage of life. I was around back when all games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.
Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025
Close call between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible and unpleasant.
Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More
Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names bellowed from the back door at dinner time.
Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming
Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or phone use, but it burns like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured back in the past.
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.
