🔗 Share this article The Dominik Diamond Unofficial Video Game of the Year Roundup for This Year So, how did you experience the past year in your home? Was it entirely positive as people post on social media? Overflowing with top marks for the kids and riotous dress-up celebrations for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of letdowns with only rare fun flotsam? Is any of this genuine, or is everyone now AI-generated AI slop beings with celebrity teeth? I've assembled my thoughts for a reflection, willing or unwilling, to discuss the most important thing in twelve months: what titles we played the most. So here goes: Game First Daughter Played the Most Just Dance 2024 "Is it impossible to pick just one?" "It’s not my definitive list." In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare." "Virtually?" "In the actual world." Release Middle Son Played the Most Overwatch "I have no interest in games on my phone." He was offended that the question was posed. Point taken. Game Youngest 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 thriving utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her older sibling has in the real world. Title the Wife Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She started the year at 60% completion and ended it at 82%. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins. Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Any time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can grow up and play games for grownups. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship. Most Impressive Gaming Family Member 2025 Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 It wasn't even close for this one. She is unstoppable. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime. Title I Played the Most Marvel Snap No other game compared to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, with its constantly evolving 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 realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled. Title I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Excellent reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life. Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition) Blue Prince I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after evening drinks. Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It Balatro I acknowledge Balatro was last year's breakout game, but I was a late adopter. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. Crazy Poker is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Throw in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it. Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I received a bit of backlash when I critiqued how a technical issue in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I recognized 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 "missing the point". I share that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and they are obviously an excellent judge of character. Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Sure. Give me a bastard-hard Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I acknowledge that it looks ace and is perfection if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my mid-fifties. I was around back when many games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming News of 2025 Close call between business deals that caused concern, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and unpleasant. Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names called from the back door at bedtime. 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 is sore like hellfire 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 heat death of the universe. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.