Our Dominik Diamond Personal Video Game of the Year Awards for The Past Year

So, how did you experience 2025 in your household? Could it be described as truly wonderful as people post on Facebook? Packed with A-grades for the children and wild themed fancy dress gatherings for the parents? Or was it a ocean of disappointment with only occasional entertaining moments? And was any of it actually real, or have we all become digitally altered virtual entities with unrealistic smiles?

I've corralled the family for a chat, whether they wanted to or not, to discuss the paramount thing in a calendar year: which releases we played the most. So here goes:

Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"This isn't my personal ranking."

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

"In the game?"

"In the actual world."

Game Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. Fair enough.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where the Shark has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has in the real world.

Title the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Game I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any 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 engaging in this to prepare him so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close for this one. She is incredible. More impressive than I was at my peak gaming days 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 wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that endlessly add to their range is you eventually realize and see 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

Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the off. I wish I could dispatch my demons so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just didn’t have the time or headspace to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after family time.

Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was the previous year's sleeper hit, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play any time. Add in 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 an opportunity but play it.

Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a minor pile-on when I mentioned how a technical issue in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I appreciated even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I present that in the exact way, because I appreciate the effort, and he is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a punishingly tough non-linear thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I acknowledge that it looks ace and is perfection if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my mid-fifties. I was around back when most games were like this, and I'm over it. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Close call between business deals that caused concern, and expensive game releases. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.

Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names shouted 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 aches like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 stretch time until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.