🔗 Share this article This Diamond Family Personal Gaming of the Year Awards for This Year Alright, how was this year in your family? Did it seem entirely positive as one might claim on Facebook? Packed with academic success for the kids and wild themed fancy dress celebrations for the parents? Or was it a swamp of frustration with only sporadic entertaining flotsam? Could any part be genuine, or are we all seven-fingered synthetic personas with perfect smiles? I've assembled the family together, willing or unwilling, to debate the crucial thing in any given year: which releases we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started: Title Oldest Daughter Played the Most Just Dance 2024 "Can’t you pick just one?" "You can't expect my games column." Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare." "In the game?" "In reality." Release Second Son Played the Most Overwatch "I refuse to play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. Point taken. Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard Her goal is to get into drama 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 the Shark has a thriving utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her eldest sister has in the real world. Game the Spouse 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 unscrew pins. Release I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he objects, I reply that I am doing this to prepare him so he can mature 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 It wasn't even close for this one. She is incredible. Even better than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix 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 deck building competitive game, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations. Game I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The catch about games that constantly evolve their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it was deleted. Title I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life. Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition) Blue Prince I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the late night after evening drinks. Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It Balatro I'm aware Balatro was last year's breakout game, but I was a late adopter. And it is exceptional. It just gets every single thing right. Crazy Poker is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different joker cards are so inventive it has become a game I literally would play any time. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true pinnacle of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it. Game I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I experienced a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I share that in the exact way, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an astute judge of character. Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Fine. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". How delightful. I acknowledge that it looks ace and is flawless if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my mid-fifties. I was around back when all games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025 Close call between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious and concerning. Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names bellowed from the garden at tea time. Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or doomscrolling, but it aches like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 make 2026 last until the heat death of the universe. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.