🔗 Share this article The Diamond Family Alternative Gaming of the Year List for This Year So, how did you experience the past year in your home? Did it seem entirely positive as one might claim on social media? Overflowing with top marks for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress birthday parties for the grownups? Or was it a ocean of frustration with only occasional entertaining highlights? And was any of it authentic, or are we all seven-fingered AI slop beings with perfect teeth? I have gathered everyone for a reflection, whether they wanted to or not, to debate the crucial thing in twelve months: which video games we played the most. Let's get started: Game First Daughter Played the Most Pikmin "Is it impossible to pick just one?" "It’s not my games column." In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare." "Digitally?" "In the actual world." Title Middle Son Played the Most Overwatch "I have no interest in games on my phone." He took umbrage that the question was posed. Fair enough. Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard She's attempting to get into acting, 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 in real life. Game the Spouse Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She began the year at 60% 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 remove pins. Game 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 relentless heckler. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to prepare him so he can mature and play games for adults. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship. Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 She was the clear winner for this one. She is incredible. More impressive than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime. Game I Played the Most Marvel Snap Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted deck building digital pastime, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations. Title I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The downside about games that frequently update their range is you eventually realize and understand it is all just an attempt to trap you with compulsion-based microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it was deleted. Game I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Glorious reinvention of a classic 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 didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality. Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It Balatro I acknowledge Balatro was 2024’s sleeper hit, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the powers behind the different wild 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 definite pinnacle of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it. Game I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I received a bit of backlash when I mentioned how a glitch in another game ruined 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 slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the reader who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I present that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character. Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Sure. Give me a brutally difficult non-linear thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". How delightful. I acknowledge that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my mid-fifties. 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 questionable things. Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025 Toss-up between questionable alliances that caused concern, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and repugnant. Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Stupid Enough to Have More Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names shouted from the doorstep at dinner time. Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or endless scrolling, but it is sore like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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 make 2026 last until the end of days. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.