This Household Personal Video Game of the Year List for This Year
Alright, how was this year in your home? Did it seem entirely positive as you pretended on online? Packed with academic success for the children and wild dress-up celebrations for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a swamp of disappointment with only sporadic enjoyable moments? Is any of this actually real, or is everyone now AI-generated virtual entities with celebrity dental work?
I've corralled the family for a chat, ready or not, to debate the crucial thing in any given year: what titles we played the most. So here goes:
Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most
Pikmin
"Can’t you pick just one?"
"This isn't my definitive list."
In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "trying to find adequate healthcare."
"Virtually?"
"In reality."
Game Middle Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I don’t play games on my phone." He was offended that the question was posed. Fair enough.
Title Third Daughter Played the Most
Resident Evil Biohazard
She is trying to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.
Release the Wife Played the Most
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She started the year at 60% completion and finished the year at 82%. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.
Game I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing
Minecraft
Whenever I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for grownups. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.
Most Impressive Gaming Family Member of the Year
Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024
She was the clear winner for this one. She is a machine. More impressive than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.
Game I Played the Most
Marvel Snap
No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted deck building competitive game, 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 suck you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.
Game I Wish I Had Played More
Doom: The Dark Ages
Glorious reinvention of a classic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could deal with my demons so effectively in real life.
Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition)
Blue Prince
I decline to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I will be playing this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.
Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It
Balatro
I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's surprise hit, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Throw in the charm of the card design, and this is an absolute peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind 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 received a bit of backlash when I critiqued how a glitch 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 recognized even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to contact me 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 astute judge of character.
Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Fine. Give me a punishingly tough exploration-focused thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I get that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my adulthood. I was around back when most 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 Scandal of 2025
Debate between business deals that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both morally indefensible and concerning.
Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Foolish Enough to Have More
Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names shouted from the doorstep 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 doomscrolling, but it burns like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 stretch time until the cows come home.
Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036
The Witcher 4.
