Looking Back at 2025
Mon December 15, 2025
This issue was written and edited by Ben Gillbanks. Ben is a Web Developer with over 25 years experience of creating things online.
This is the last issue this year! I’m amazed that I’ve managed to consistently publish a newsletter every two weeks all year! Thank you for reading along and sticking with it. I really appreciate it.
Rather than sharing apps or tutorials this time, I thought I’d end the year by looking back at some of the fun, creative things that stuck with me.
Pokémon
Pokémon obviously isn’t new, but over the last six months it has become a big part of our family life.
Over the summer our son started talking about playing other people at the card game. We’d played together at home for years, and collected cards for a while, but we’d never played against other people. So we went along to a local game store and started attending the weekly Pokémon League nights.
Our son is nine and quite introverted, so it’s been really lovely to see him mixing with new people. At first he was very quiet, but over time he’s become much more comfortable sitting down with other players, starting games, and chatting between rounds. He’s played with a wide variety of people, from other kids his age to adults, and has even made a few friends along the way.
Alongside the weekly League meetups, we’ve also been going to tournaments, pre-releases, and even a Pokémon Cup event.
League Challenges and Cups use official Pokémon accounts and award ranking points. Since there aren’t many players his age, he’s climbed the rankings surprisingly quickly, which has been great to see.
One unexpected bonus has been the knock-on effect for us. While he’s playing Pokémon, my wife and I get to try board games at the same store, meet new people, and have conversations we simply wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Board Games
As I mentioned above, we’ve been playing more and more board games as a family.
Part of that is simply time away from screens. I work with screens all day, and my son would happily use one all the time if we let him, so anything that helps us put the devices down feels like a win.
But more than that, board games have become a really easy way to spend time together. They give us something shared to focus on, and they’ve also turned out to be a great ice-breaker at the game store, leading to conversations and games with people we wouldn’t otherwise have met.
Century: Spice Road
Century Spice Road is probably our go-to game at the moment. It’s a tile-laying game where you collect and trade spices, represented by little coloured wooden cubes, to complete sets and score points.
I love the tactile nature of it. There are lots of wooden pieces and a few metal coins, which makes it feel like you’re actually working in a busy spice market.
The initial setup feels complex, but once you’ve done it a couple of times it’s pretty quick, and the game itself is very easy to play.
Each turn you can either take a new tile, use an existing tile to convert spices, or complete a contract to score points. The strategy comes from deciding which tiles to take and when to complete contracts.
It’s the sort of game we can happily play in the evening without feeling mentally drained.
Azul
Azul is another tile-laying game, this time about building a decorative wall of tiles. It reminds me a bit of Yahtzee, in that you’re collecting sets and scoring points based on how and where you place them.
Like Spice Road, the physical tiles are a big part of the appeal. They have a nice weight and texture, which makes the game feel good to play.
There’s a nice balance of luck and strategy, and it’s easy to learn without feeling shallow. We tend to play it in the evening when we’re a bit more tired, and it fits that slot perfectly. We often end up playing multiple games in a row.
It’s also just a really lovely-looking game.
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is an evergreen classic. My wife and I played it a lot before we had a child, and now that he’s old enough we’ve started playing it together as a family.
It’s a tile-laying game where you build a medieval landscape of cities, roads, and fields. The rules are easy to pick up, but there’s still plenty of room for strategy, especially once you start thinking a few turns ahead.
We have the version with the river and abbot expansions, and we’ve just bought another expansion as a Christmas present, which I’m looking forward to adding for a bit more variety. While at the Pokémon club we also tried Carcassonne: New World, which is related to the original game but needs very different strategies.
Video Games
I make video games, so I obviously play a lot of them too. A few in particular stood out for me this year, either because they fit neatly into spare moments, or because they were interesting to experience alongside my family.
Video games are often seen as a solitary thing, but for us they’re usually shared. On the Switch my son and I play together one evening a week (with limits), while the other watches and chats along. My wife sometimes joins in too, especially if there’s a good story. We even play together on our phones, as I’ll explain below.
Pokémon TCG Online
Watch a Pokémon Pocket trailer
This was probably inevitable after the introduction, but I’ve really enjoyed playing Pokémon Pocket. I don’t have the free time my son has, so being able to collect cards and play a few games on my phone in spare moments has been great. The boy and I enjoy collecting cards and building decks together, and we both like the quicker games.
Pokémon Go
The original Pokémon Go trailer
I slightly regret introducing Pokémon Go to my son. I first played it when it launched, shortly after he was born, but never really got into it. A couple of years ago I tried it again, thinking it might be something we could enjoy together while out and about.
He really took to it, perhaps a little too much. It quickly became something we had to put clear limits around, so it didn’t take over every outing.
That said, we do still play it together, and it has been a good excuse to get outside and explore places we might otherwise have walked straight past.
Stray
Stray is a fantastic game where you play as a cat exploring a futuristic city. The visuals are stunning, and I really enjoyed slowly wandering through the world and uncovering the story.
There are a couple of sections that are a bit frustrating, and a few moments that could be unsettling for younger players, but overall it’s a great experience. You can finish it in around eight hours, which feels just right, and none of the chapters overstay their welcome.
This was also a game my wife ended up watching along with. She’s not usually interested in video games, but the story and atmosphere pulled her in, and our son enjoyed watching too.
Antimatter Dimensions
I enjoy a good idle game, and Antimatter Dimensions is a great one. It’s surprisingly deep, with lots of layers and ever-expanding complexity, and I found it quite relaxing to check in on over time.
It’s a classic “number goes up” game. You start with almost nothing and gradually build resources, unlocking new features and modes as you go. It’s not for everyone, but if it clicks, it can be very hard to put down.
It does have a habit of pulling you in, so I’ve stepped away from it for now, but I really enjoyed my time with it.
Cartoons
I love watching cartoons with my son. It’s something we do together, and it’s also one of the ways I end up thinking about art, storytelling, and world-building without really trying to.
A good cartoon can do a lot in a short space of time. Visual style, character design, pacing, and long-running story arcs all have to work together, often while still being funny and accessible. This year we’ve found a few new favourites that really stood out.
Hilda
We don’t have Netflix, but I’d wanted to watch Hilda for a long time after hearing so many good things about it. While on holiday this summer the place we stayed had Netflix, so we watched a couple of episodes each morning.
It lived up to everything I’d heard. The animation is beautiful, the characters are warm and distinctive, and the stories are quietly imaginative without being overbearing.
I loved it, and I’m really keen to watch the rest of the series. I’ve even read one of the graphic novels the show is based on (Hilda and the Mountain King) by Luke Pearson, which gives a nice insight into where the show’s look and tone come from.
WondLa
WondLa is a relatively new series on Apple TV, based on the graphic novels by Tony DiTerlizzi. It’s set on a future Earth where humans have largely disappeared, leaving underground sanctuaries where small groups are raised by robot carers in the hope they can one day rebuild civilisation.
The story follows Eva, who is forced to flee her sanctuary after it’s attacked and ends up exploring a strange surface world full of unfamiliar creatures and technology.
It’s a strongly serialised show, spread over three seasons, and we’re currently about halfway through the final one. I really enjoy that style of storytelling, and my son is constantly asking to watch just one more episode.
The design really stood out to me. I haven’t read the books, so I can’t comment on how closely it follows them, but the show has a very distinctive look. The characters are highly stylised, and the world is packed with imaginative creatures, environments, and bits of technology that feel carefully thought through.
Mysterious Cities of Gold
Watch the Mysterious Cities of Gold opening sequence
Mysterious Cities of Gold is a cartoon from my childhood, in the 80’s, that I remember very fondly. I used to rush home from school to make sure I didn’t miss an episode, back when on-demand TV wasn’t a thing.
We originally bought the series on DVD and watched it while my wife was pregnant, but this year we’ve rewatched it as a family. It’s held up surprisingly well, and it’s been lovely seeing my son enjoy it as much as I did.
Watch the Mysterious Cities of Gold season 2 trailer
There have been three further series made since the original run. We have the second series on DVD, but the later ones are not available in the UK. The fourth series, in particular, seems to be available only in French, so we may need to get a bit creative if we want to watch it.
StuGo
I don’t know how widely known this one is, but we really enjoyed StuGo on Disney+. It starts with a group of kids who think they’ve won scholarships to a summer camp for gifted students, only to discover they’ve been brought to a remote island for very different reasons.
Within the first few minutes it becomes clear that the person running the camp is a slightly unhinged evil genius who mostly wants the kids to fix her computer.
The kids decide to stay for the summer, and things quickly spiral into a series of bizarre adventures. It’s a great mix of abstract humour, action, and odd ideas, and it has a very distinctive tone. I’m really hoping it gets a second season.
Big City Greens
Watch the Big City Greens character intros
We’ve been watching Big City Greens for a while now, and it’s become one of those shows we’re always happy to return to. It’s full of heart, with characters that feel genuinely likeable and stories that balance silliness with quieter moments.
The art style is a big part of the appeal. It’s bright and expressive, and while people often compare it to The Simpsons because of the yellow family, the Greens quickly establish their own identity. The world is colourful in a much broader sense, with characters of all shapes, sizes, and colours.
I’ve become quite attached to the Green family, and I’m always glad to see there’s more of it to watch.
Honourable Mentions
The 2017 DuckTales reboot is a great update of another favourite from my childhood. It brings the original right up to date, and we all loved it. I’d happily watch more in the same style. Plus anything with David Tennant is good, and he’s great as Scrooge McDuck.
I’d also love to see more of Big Hero 6: The Series. It was a strong follow-up to the film, and it feels like there’s plenty of room for more stories in that world.
Kiff is a newer addition to Disney+ that really tickles the funny bone. It leans into the kind of bizarre humour my son loves and is just a lot of fun to watch together.
Books
I love reading, and this year I’ve been trying to read more and spend less time on my phone. While I’ve read books aimed at adults, the ones I’ve enjoyed most have been written for teens.
Reading is a big part of our household. My son reads a lot, and what’s impressed me most isn’t just the volume, but the consistency. He reads every day, picks up big series without hesitation, and happily works his way through long books that would have intimidated me at his age.
His school uses Accelerated Reader to track reading, and he’s read more words than anyone else in his school for the last two years. I don’t mention that to show off so much as to say how encouraging it’s been to see reading become such a natural habit for him.
Despite that, he hasn’t read any of the book series below yet. Most of them are quite new, and he tends to prefer funnier books, but after finishing Percy Jackson and moving on to The Heroes of Olympus, I can see these being on the horizon.
Skandar
Skandar is a fantasy series by A.F. Steadman about a boy who discovers he is a unicorn rider. Beginning with Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, first book very much feels like Harry Potter with unicorns, but as the series goes on it finds its own voice.
One of the biggest differences is the setting. The world is built around the UK, but unlike Harry Potter, magic isn’t hidden away. Unicorns and riders are known about by the general public, which gives the story a very different feel and avoids some of the awkward “how does nobody notice this?” questions.
The series has a good mix of action, adventure, and humour, and I found myself getting genuinely invested in the characters. It stands comfortably on its own, even with its obvious influences.
Crookhaven
Crookhaven is a newer series set at a school for thieves, based in Devon, not far from where we live. There’s no magic here, but there are plenty of clever schemes, heists, and rules about how to do things properly.
The students are trained to steal from bad people and return what they’ve taken to its rightful owners, although not everyone sticks to the rules. That leaves plenty of room for mystery and internal conflict.
I really enjoyed the characters, and the books are easy to read without feeling lightweight. There are enough twists and surprises to keep things moving along.
The series is also being adapted for television by the BBC and is due to appear on iPlayer in early 2026, which I’m hopeful about.
Nevermoor
Nevermoor is a fantasy series by Jessica Townsend. It isn’t finished yet, but there are currently four books, all of which I’ve really enjoyed.
The story follows Morrigan Crow, a girl who is cursed and destined to die on her eleventh birthday. She’s rescued at the last moment and taken to the magical city of Nevermoor, where she must compete in a series of trials to join the mysterious Wundrous Society.
The world-building is the real highlight here. The setting is imaginative and playful, the magic system feels thoughtfully put together, and the characters are well drawn. It’s the kind of series where the world itself is as much of a draw as the plot.
The fourth book took a long time to arrive, and the author has said there are plans for nine books in total. I’m hoping the wait for the next one isn’t quite so long.
This is the last issue for this year. I’m going to take an issue or two off so I can come back fresh in the new year.
Thank you again for reading, and for spending a bit of time with me every couple of weeks. I really appreciate it.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and I’ll see you in the new year.