It's 2026. I'm looking at my Twitch profile, and it reminds me that I haven't streamed in January. 35 followers, all real people.

The statistics remind me of what I have neglected. It means I have to look beyond the dashboard and ask myself a few questions.

Truth be told, I haven't streamed in months, not since August. I told myself that I would, with all the new games coming out in 2025, be ready to test. Heck, I've even managed to avoid spoilers for Deltarune's third and fourth installments. And yet, with all the chaos that ensued in 2025 from the real world, gaming, and the speculative fiction industry, setting up the area where I stream has become harder.

It's not because that area is in our guest room. No, the reason is more emotional: I streamed for myself and other people. Now I need to stream for myself again this year and have fun regardless of who comes to watch.

Why Do I Like Streaming?

I enjoy streaming on Twitch because it allows me to connect with my friends. Part of the reason I streamed Spelunky for so long, despite taking several years to beat the game, was that more than a few people who had heard me on voice chats were surprised to hear me swear. My online bestie even started a "fuck" counter after I ran into multiple hazards. Geometry Dash went even worse, as I immediately switched back to Spelunky after a few minutes of navigating a colorful shape through an obstacle course.

Sharing a gaming experience means going on a journey through story-rich games. I've struggled with Celeste as mentioned, but I ,also gave therapy to a robot and used a friendship to save a girl and her monster. The iffy games allow me to commiserate with the viewers who are similarly disappointed with the payoff.

Sharing a gaming experience with others also allows me to measure my amateur skills against professionals who can remain charming and hilarious. I like finding the underdogs, the games that an average Steam customer may not see on a first perusal.

What Happened in 2025?

Thanks to real-life events kicking me in the teeth and the heart at the same time, I left a friend group that I had joined nearly ten years ago. I won't go into the details, but it wasn't fun. Mainly, I'd stream, and people from that group tended to join. They're the ones that helped inspire how I would stream because some had the know-how, and others had the spark. One iconic moment had our friend group trying to guess how to find a star in one of the Deponia games; the answer left everyone, including the player and us viewers, baffled. (In hindsight, Deponia always goes for the absurd answer, but at the time I was saying "What?!" a lot when we got to that moment.)  

I'm still friends with some of those individuals, and others I have held at arm's length. Since then, however, preparing a stream has taken more physical and emotional effort. When you lose that many people after realizing you both have changed too much, it leaves you feeling empty. The void didn't register until halfway through the year, as I had games I wanted to stream but lacked the energy for setup and timing. I was sad and upset, letting the pain weigh on me. But I didn’t realize the consequences of sadness until the very end of December. 

Back to Streaming for Myself

If I were to stream for myself again and not worry about the emptiness, I would find a balance between troubleshooting the lag issues and enjoying the ride. Instead of worrying that I get boring when I get serious, as I stop talking and completely focus on the screen, I'd be me. That means accepting all the flaws.

In February, I hope to carve out that time and find the fun in streaming again. That means diving into Deltarune as well as new Steam arrivals. So many new creators want to show their games, and I want to give them a fair shake and an audience, even if it's a small one. First, though, I have to recover from this head cold. It's harder to say "fuck" when your voice comes out as a groaning squeak.

After the electric atmosphere of CES, GeForce NOW has announced that Devolver Digital’s Quarantine Zone: The Last Check will be among 9 new games coming to the video game streaming service.

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check, Star Wars Outlaws, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon, Styx: Shards of Darkness, Styx: Master of Shadows, Guild Wars: Reforged, Mon Bazou, Tavern Keeper, and Waterpark Simulator will all be added to GeForce NOW this week.

GeForce NOW is a video game cloud streaming service made by hardware giant NVIDIA, which lets subscribers play games like Arc Raiders and Baldur’s Gate 3 on demand. The service also offers features from NVIDIA, like GeForce RTX and their NVIDIA Blackwell RTX servers for very fast streaming.

This week, Quarantine Zone: The Last Check will be hitting the service. It is Devolver Digital’s newest game, where you take control of a checkpoint in a post apocalyptic zombie outbreak, make sure your outpost stays safe with upgrades, state-of-the-art screening technology, and first-person shooter action.

One of the most notable additions is Star Wars Outlaws. This is the Star Wars game we all wanted as kids, incorporating criminal reputation mechanics, space dogfights, and a very cool droid partner in a galaxy-spanning effort to make one last score. GeForce NOW also introduces The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon, whichis a milestone entry in the Trails series, letting you explore the vast Calvard Republic as three playable characters that fight in both real-time and turn-based battles.

Two games from the Of Orcs and Men franchise, Styx: Shards of Darkness and Styx: Master of Shadows, have also been added to GeForce NOW’s library. The Styx games are a stealth lover’s dream franchise; both are successors to the 2012 video game of the franchise’s namesake. Play as the experienced goblin assassin, Styx, as he navigates the world with his wits, stealth, and magic, all in order to prevent the Elves and dwarves from enacting their dubious plans.

The legendary MMO Guild Wars: Reforged is an unexpected addition that has been remade for the modern age and modern hardware. Experience fighting warbands, rival gangs, and crossing inhospitable terrain in the world of Ascalon, perfect for scratching that MMO itch.

Three indie games, Mon Bazou, Tavern Keeper, and Waterpark Simulator, are now all residents of GeForce NOW’s library. Mon Bazou is a My Summer Car-esque game where, in place of finland you survive and thrive in 2005 Canada by selling maple syrup deliver pizzas and more in your effort to build and customize your race car. Tavern Keeper lets you build, customize, and stock your very own tavern, although be prepared to fight the dirt, heat, noise, and sickness that come with owning a medieval establishment.

And finally, Waterpark Simulator gives you the full waterpark experience where you are the boss. Keep your attendees in line by making them shower, tazing the belligerent and stocking your stalls while customizing your park to exactly the specifications you want.

Enjoy these newly added games on GeForce NOW today, along with the upcoming native apps on Linux and Amazon Fire TV and the newly added flight control support.

And for fans of Microsoft Flight Simulator, you can also enter to win a T.Flight Hotas One MSFS Edition and one month of GeForce NOW Ultimate.  Just follow Thrustmaster and GeForce NOW on socials and repost the giveaway before January 24th for a chance to win.

When I logged into Shroud of the Avatar that evening, I went to my row‑home in the Harbor Market district of Lightbringer Isle. I know Lightbringer Isle hosts a monthly fishing contest, a recurring event that draws many players from across the game world. I live on the isle, and I also run a small vendor shop there, selling bait, lures, and food.

The rules of the contest are simple: to enter, I need to catch a fish bigger than the “small tiger shark” that only one other player has shown so far. That means the bar is set high if I want a shot at winning.

Fishing in Shroud of the Avatar is straightforward. All you need is a fishing rod, bait, your fishing skill, and a body of water. Any open water deep enough will do. According to the game’s mechanics update that introduced support for multiple water types, saltwater fishing is fully supported. (sotawiki.net)

Because the contest at Lightbringer Isle is held in saltwater, I stocked up on saltwater‑appropriate bait, specifically minnows, which I’ve been using for all my fishing attempts.

I’ve been spending my evenings fishing in roughly one‑hour sessions. I livestream my attempts on multiple platforms, though I have zero viewers. There’s no chat or audience to worry about. It’s just me, my rod, the saltwater, and the quiet hope that this cast might land something extraordinary.

Between fishing sessions, I would log out of the game and do something else before starting another hour of fishing and livestreaming. It helps me stay refreshed and focused when I return.

There was one session where I logged in to fish, started the livestream, and got ready for the contest, but the allergy medicine I took earlier hit me harder than expected. I ended up getting knocked out and fell asleep. I had the stream running for about two hours without realizing it. When I woke up, I ended the livestream. Definitely not the most productive fishing session, but at least I got some rest.

During my other sessions, I’ve cast my line into the saltwater all around Lightbringer Isle, not just near the docks. The sea is calm, the night quiet, and I settle into the rhythm. I’ve hauled in a few modest fish, saltwater bass or mackerel, but nothing that could beat the small tiger shark catch. I’ve tried using minnows as bait for every attempt, but so far, the results haven’t been what I was hoping for.

As I continue fishing, I know there are still a couple of days left in the contest. I haven’t caught any sharks yet, but I’m not giving up.

I’ve been watching the contest unfold, and so far, I know that only one player has caught a small tiger shark. That means if I want a chance at winning, I need to catch something bigger.

Then, in one of my later sessions, I cast again. The bait sinks into the saltwater, the float drifts gently, and the progress bar slowly fills as I wait. I hold my breath. When it finishes, I begin reeling. The line feels heavy. The rod bends under the weight. Every inch pulls back.

Though I haven’t pulled in a shark yet, I know there’s still time. The thrill of the unknown keeps me coming back, casting my line in hopes that the next bite will be the big one.

For now, I’m just enjoying the process, the calm water, the quiet anticipation, and the possibility that the next tug on the line could be something extraordinary. I’m a resident, a vendor, and an angler, and I’m still chasing that big catch.

Maybe I’ll go again next month. Maybe I’ll reel in something even more impressive. Or maybe I’ll just enjoy the saltwater, the breeze, and the hope. For now, my line is out, and I’m waiting. 🎣

Spotify may have popularized the Wrapped user recap trend, but more companies are jumping on that bandwagon every year. From rival music streaming providers like Apple, Amazon, YouTube, and Deezer, to completely unrelated services across tech, gaming, and other industries, a huge range of companies are using fun visuals, stats, and personalization features to show how you’ve been using their platforms over the last 12 months.

The annual recaps trend shows no sign of slowing down, prompting companies to introduce new features every year to keep things fresh. Spotify Wrapped 2025 has added an interactive Wrapped Party feature that makes a game out of comparing your listening habits against your friends, for example, while YouTube has launched a separate Recap review for video insights, alongside its usual Music Recap.

This is also the time of year when companies drop their “best of” rankings charts for the year, charting the most downloaded apps across Apple and Google’s app stores, the most streamed music, movies, and TV shows, and more.

We’re rounding up all the biggest or most intriguing recaps for 2025 below as they’re announced, so check back to see how the services you’re using will be breaking down your data this year.

• Google shares 10 of its favorite Chrome extensions from 2025.
• Google Photos Recap will tell you how many selfies you took this year
• Spotify Wrapped 2025 turns listening into a competition
• Apple Music Replay 2025 is back with new listening stats
• YouTube introduces its own version of Spotify Wrapped for videos
• Amazon Music Delivered puts your top tunes on a festival poster.