🔗 Share this article The Diamond Family Personal Video Game of the Year Roundup for This Year Alright, how did you experience this year in your household? Could it be described as truly wonderful as people post on social media? Overflowing with top marks for the kids and wild costume gatherings for the adults? Maybe it felt like a ocean of letdowns with only sporadic enjoyable flotsam? Is any of this actually real, or have we all become AI-generated synthetic personas with perfect dental work? I have gathered the family for a chat, whether they wanted to or not, to discuss the crucial thing in twelve months: which releases we played 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 personal ranking." Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare." "Digitally?" "In reality." Title Middle Son Played the Most Overwatch "I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. Fair enough. Title Third 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 spoke at length in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a blooming utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has in real life. Game the Spouse Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She began the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins. Game I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to toughen him up so he can grow up and play games for grownups. It's a classic 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 incredible. Even better than I was at my peak gaming days 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 downside about games that constantly evolve their range is you eventually realize and see it is all just an attempt to suck you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it went into the bin. Game I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the off. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life. Title 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 focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after family time. Game That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It Balatro I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Add in the charm of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it. Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I endured a wave of criticism when I critiqued how a glitch 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 thank you to the commenter who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I present that verbatim, 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 Alright. Give me a punishingly tough Metroidvania-esque thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". How delightful. I get that it has great art and is flawless if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my current stage of life. I was around back when many games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025 Close call between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible and repugnant. Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Foolish Enough to Have More Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names shouted from the back door at tea time. Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or endless scrolling, but it burns like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 wait patiently until the cows come home. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.