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

Well, what did you think of this year in your home? Did it seem truly wonderful as you pretended on online? Packed with top marks for the children and wild themed fancy dress gatherings for the parents? Or was it a sea of disappointment with only sporadic entertaining moments? Is any of this authentic, or is everyone now AI-generated virtual entities with perfect smiles?

I've assembled the family for a chat, willing or unwilling, to reflect on the most important thing in a calendar year: which releases we were obsessed with the most. So here goes:

Game First Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"This isn't my games column."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In the actual world."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. I respect that.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into acting, but when she took a break from vocals, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her character has a blooming 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 sixty percent completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Title I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he objects, I reply that I am behaving this way to prepare him so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this insanely 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 downside about games that constantly evolve their range is you have a moment of clarity and see it is all just an attempt to lure you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

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

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after family time.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets each element right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Throw in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after experiencing 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 "bitter, confused resentment". I present that as written, because I respect the passion, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". Great fun. 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 am less interested in in my mid-fifties. I was around back when all games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Toss-up between questionable alliances that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both morally indefensible and repugnant.

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 shouted from the back door at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. No joke. 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 wait patiently until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.