This Household Personal Gaming of the Year List for The Past Year
Alright, how did you experience the past year in your household? Did it seem truly wonderful as people post on Facebook? Full of top marks for the kids and wild themed fancy dress birthday parties for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a sea of disappointment with only sporadic fun flotsam? Could any part be actually real, or have we all become digitally altered synthetic personas with unrealistic dental work?
I've corralled everyone for a chat, whether they wanted to or not, to reflect on the most important thing in any given year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:
Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most
Just Dance 2024
"Can’t you pick just one?"
"It’s not my games column."
Meanwhile, on mobile, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."
"Virtually?"
"In real life."
Game Second Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. 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 tackling Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her character has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her older sibling has in real life.
Release the Partner 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 remove pins.
Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing
Minecraft
Whenever I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can be a man and play games for grownups. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.
Most Skilled Gaming Family Member 2025
Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024
She was the clear winner for this one. She is incredible. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games 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 exceptionally well-crafted card game wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.
Game I Wish I Had Played Less
Marvel Snap
The catch about games that endlessly add to their range is you have a moment of clarity and understand it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.
Title I Wish I Had Played More
Doom: The Dark Ages
Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life.
Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)
Blue Prince
I'm unwilling to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just lacked the mental bandwidth to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the late night after family time.
Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It
Balatro
I know Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. Crazy Poker is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true peak of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.
Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I endured a bit of backlash when I wrote about how a technical issue in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I appreciated even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I mention that as written, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an excellent judge of character.
Game 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 "explore". How delightful. 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 most 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
Toss-up between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.
Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More
Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names shouted from the back door at bedtime.
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 endless scrolling, but it aches like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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 heat death of the universe.
Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036
The Witcher 4.
