🔗 Share this article This Dominik Diamond Personal Game of the Year Awards for This Year Alright, how did you experience the past year in your family? Could it be described as all as good as you pretended on social media? Overflowing with A-grades for the kids and wild themed fancy dress gatherings for the adults? Or was it a ocean of disappointment with only sporadic fun moments? Is any of this authentic, or is everyone now digitally altered synthetic personas with celebrity smiles? I've corralled my thoughts together, ready or not, to debate the paramount thing in twelve months: which releases we were obsessed with the most. So here goes: Title Oldest Daughter Played the Most Horizon Zero Dawn "Can’t you pick just one?" "This isn't my personal ranking." Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare." "In the game?" "In the actual world." Title Second Son Played the Most Overwatch "I refuse to play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. Fair enough. Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard Her goal is to get into drama school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game. Game the Wife Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She began the year at 60% completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins. Release I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Every time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he protests, I reply that I am doing this to toughen him up so he can mature and play games for adults. It’s a very 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 a machine. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime. Title I Played the Most Marvel Snap No other game compared to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted strategy wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations. Title I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The worst thing 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 fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it was deleted. Title I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life. Game I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition) Blue Prince I refuse to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just was short on the mental bandwidth to give it what it needed earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the late night after evening drinks. Game That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It Balatro I acknowledge Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a brilliant concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play any time. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it. Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I endured a minor pile-on when I mentioned how a glitch in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I valued even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I share that verbatim, because I respect the passion, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character. Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Sure. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". What a joy. I understand that it has great art and is perfection if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when most games were like this, and I'm over it. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025 Debate between questionable alliances that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible 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 bellowed from the doorstep 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 video games or doomscrolling, but it aches like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 make 2026 last until the cows come home. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.