The Diamond Family Unofficial Video Game of the Year List for The Past Year

Alright, how did you experience this year in your household? Could it be described as all as good as one might claim on online? Full of academic success for the children and wild themed fancy dress gatherings for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a sea of frustration with only rare entertaining flotsam? Is any of this genuine, or is everyone now digitally altered synthetic personas with unrealistic smiles?

I've assembled my thoughts together, willing or unwilling, to debate the paramount thing in a calendar year: which releases we played the most. Without further ado:

Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"It’s not my definitive list."

In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In real life."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He took umbrage that the question was posed. Point taken.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into drama school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with significantly better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game.

Title the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at 60% completion and ended it at 82%. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Game I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to build character so he can be a man and play games for adults. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. Superior 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 insanely well-crafted card game digital pastime, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to trap you with compulsion-based microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could eviscerate my problems so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after evening drinks.

Title That Was a Lifesaver 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 absolutely everything right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I would happily play any time. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an definite peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a wave of criticism when I mentioned how a glitch in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I recognized even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I share that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a bastard-hard exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I get that it has great art and is flawless if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my adulthood. I was around back when all games were like this, and I'm over it. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.

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 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 endless scrolling, but it is sore 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 stretch time until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.