🔗 Share this article Our Diamond Family Alternative Game of the Year Awards for The Past Year Well, how did you experience this year in your family? Was it all as good as one might claim on Facebook? Full of A-grades for the children and wild themed fancy dress celebrations for the parents? Or perhaps it was a ocean of frustration with only occasional enjoyable moments? Could any part be authentic, or are we all digitally altered synthetic personas with unrealistic teeth? I've assembled the family together, willing or unwilling, to debate the paramount thing in any given year: what titles we played the most. Let's get started: Release Oldest Daughter Played the Most Horizon Zero Dawn "Can’t you pick just one?" "This isn't my personal ranking." In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "attempting to locate reasonable healthcare." "Virtually?" "In reality." Title Second Son Played the Most Overwatch "I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that the question was posed. Point taken. Game Third Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard She is trying to get into theatre school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where the Shark has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world. Game the Spouse Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She began the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins. Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Whenever 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 engaging in this to prepare him so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship. Most Skilled Gaming Family Member 2025 Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 She was the clear winner for this one. She is incredible. Superior than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime. Game I Played the Most Marvel Snap Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted card game 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 frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it got uninstalled. Title I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life. Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition) Blue Prince I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after appropriate hospitality. Game That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It Balatro I know Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets absolutely everything right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the effects behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it. Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I endured a bit of backlash when I critiqued how a technical issue 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 slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I present that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an astute judge of character. Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Fine. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". What a joy. 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 adulthood. I was around back when all games were like this, and I'm over it. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025 Close call between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and concerning. Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Stupid Enough to Have More Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names called from the doorstep at tea time. Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or doomscrolling, but it is sore like the mines of sulphur 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 wait patiently until the end of days. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.