🔗 Share this article Our Diamond Family Personal Gaming of the Year Awards for This Year So, how did you experience this year in your family? Did it seem truly wonderful as you pretended on social media? Overflowing with top marks for the children and elaborate costume gatherings for the parents? Maybe it felt like a sea of frustration with only rare entertaining highlights? Could any part be authentic, or is everyone now digitally altered synthetic personas with unrealistic dental work? I've corralled my thoughts together, ready or not, to discuss the crucial thing in twelve months: which video games we enjoyed the most. So here goes: Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most Horizon Zero Dawn "Can’t you pick just one?" "It’s not my games column." Meanwhile, on mobile, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare." "Virtually?" "In reality." Game Second Son Played the Most Overwatch "I refuse to play games on my phone." He was offended that I even asked. Fair enough. Game Third Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard Her goal is to get into theatre school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a successful utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has in real life. 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 mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins. Release I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am behaving this way to prepare him so he can mature 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 It wasn't even close for this one. She is incredible. Even better than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime. Title I Played the Most Marvel Snap No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations. Game I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The downside about games that endlessly add to their range is you eventually realize and see it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it went into the bin. Title I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Stunning reinvention of a legendary franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the off. 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 beautiful, unique game and I just was short on the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the early morning after evening drinks. Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It Balatro I know Balatro was 2024’s sleeper hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the powers behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play any time. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute pinnacle of gaming. I wouldn't mind 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 experienced a wave of criticism when I mentioned how a specific bug in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I valued even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I present that as written, because I appreciate the effort, 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 provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". How delightful. I acknowledge that it has great art and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my current stage of life. I was around back when most games were like this, and I'm over it. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025 Close call between business deals that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious and repugnant. 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 shouted from the back door at bedtime. Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or doomscrolling, but it aches like the mines of sulphur 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.