My family is coming apart – so it’s time for one last video game session | Dominik Diamond
Dominik Diamond reflects on his family’s final games night before its members move into separate homes, ending two decades of living together. Despite frequent conflict, illness and mental-health difficulties, video games have provided a shared space for humour, conversation and reconciliation, making the occasion emotionally significant.
He chooses Quiplash, a phone-controlled comedy party game that has become central to the family’s running jokes and his children’s sense of humour. His attempt to enforce correct spelling is mocked, he finishes last, and tensions from his children’s shared workplace emerge during the game, illustrating both the family’s fractures and their enduring closeness.
- A family’s final games night marks an impending separation.
- Quiplash has long provided humour and connection.
- Old tensions resurface amid affectionate chaos.
New here? Start with this
Video games have become a common way for families and friends to spend time together, particularly when they live in the same home. Party games are designed for groups, often using phones as controllers and focusing on quick rounds, jokes and friendly competition rather than specialist gaming skills.
Quiplash is one such game, in which players write comic answers to prompts and vote for their favourites. It can create shared jokes that are remembered long after a session ends, while also giving people a relatively informal way to talk and react to one another.
For a family facing a change in living arrangements, a final games night can carry more meaning than the game itself. It may bring together memories of arguments, support during difficult periods and the everyday habits that have held relatives together.