🔗 Share this article The Household Alternative Video Game of the Year Awards for This Year Alright, what did you think of the past year in your home? Could it be described as truly wonderful as one might claim on Facebook? Overflowing with top marks for the children and wild costume birthday parties for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of frustration with only sporadic fun flotsam? Is any of this actually real, or have we all become seven-fingered virtual entities with unrealistic smiles? I've corralled everyone for a chat, whether they wanted to or not, to reflect on the most important thing in any given year: which video games we enjoyed the most. Let's get started: Title Oldest Daughter Played the Most Horizon Zero Dawn "Can’t you pick just one?" "It’s not my games column." Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare." "In the game?" "In real life." Game Middle Son Played the Most Overwatch "I have no interest in games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. Fair enough. Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard She is trying to get into acting, but when she took a break from vocals, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has in the real world. Game the Spouse Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She started the year at 60% completion and finished the year at 82%. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins. Game I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Whenever I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he objects, I reply that I am doing this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship. Most Notable Gaming Family Member This Year Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 It wasn't even close for this one. She is a machine. More impressive than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime. Game I Played the Most Marvel Snap It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted strategy competitive game, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations. Game I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The worst thing about games that constantly evolve their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with 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 Excellent reinvention of a legendary franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could eviscerate my issues so effectively in real life. Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition) Blue Prince I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just was short on the focused attention to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality. Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It Balatro I acknowledge Balatro was 2024’s sleeper hit, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different wild cards are so creative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Throw in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it. Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I endured a minor pile-on when I critiqued 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 art, sound, acting – which I recognized even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I mention that verbatim, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an astute judge of character. Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Alright. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". How delightful. I get that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my mid-fifties. I was around back when all games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025 Toss-up between business deals that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both morally indefensible and unpleasant. Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Foolish 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. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or endless scrolling, but it burns 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 heat death of the universe. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.