Reflecting on my experiences in 2024, it was a year of many firsts. Attending major video game conventions, seeing video game concerts for the very first time, and growing as a writer were major steps forward for me.
Now that 2025 has concluded and a new year graces us, I would like to reflect once more on the highs and lows of gaming for yours truly.
New York Video Game Awards 2025
Attending a major awards show was something not on my bingo card for 2025. But when my man Lord Cognito was going to present one of the awards, I had to make it happen.
Comparing this to the 2024 Video Game Awards, it was a stark contrast in the best ways possible. Games that I didn’t expect to get attention, like Mouthwashing, got nominated for awards. Even if they didn’t win, seeing my personal highlights of 2024, like Sonic X Shadow Generations, get nominated for awards made me happy.
The biggest highlight of the event was seeing everyone collectively celebrate Sam Lake. As a casual fan of his work on projects like CONTROL and Alan Wake II, I felt moved seeing the raw respect, honor, and celebration for Sam’s impact on the video game industry.
Striking the Earth – Shovel Knight NYC Concert
As a video game music fan, Shovel Knight: Steel Thy Concert was one of my highlights of 2025. It took iconic tracks from Shovel Knight and its expansions, transforming them into a fantastic rock concert.
Iconic tracks, such as Strike the Earth, and The Bon Fire, were amazing to see performed live with new instrumentation. Talking to the amazing crew at Yacht Club Games when the concert concluded was another highlight. They genuinely love their fans and are earnest people.
Expressing how I loved Shovel Knight and its importance. Seeing indie games garner the same level of musical respect that Sonic and Final Fantasy got was awesome. In the future, when Mina the Hollower is a smash hit, I look forward to that game’s score getting the same treatment.
A New Venture – Attending PAX East 2025
After planning with my buddy Eugene Schaffmeir, a seasoned writer here at Lords of Gaming and known for his amazing on-site coverage, I was able to travel to Boston and attend my very first PAX East.
Lords of Gaming has coverage of past PAX East events, so the two of us teaming up to cover games like The Gex Collection, Fresh Tracks, Mycopunk, Dune: Awakening, and so much more was a lot of fun at PAX East 2025. My personal highlight from PAX East was covering the Marvelous/XSEED Booth.
There, I covered two major Switch 2 launch titles, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. Being a newcomer to the farming sim genre, these titles were outside of my wheelhouse. I enjoyed my time with them all the same.
Reflecting on my efforts in covering PAX East, I noticed my growth in tackling multiple previews. With Gene’s guidance, I became a better writer through this experience.
What a Switch! – Nintendo Experience NYC Event
Growing up, I always enjoyed reading Game Informer and watching YouTube creators go hands-on with upcoming consoles and technology. It got me hyped and excited for experiences I would eventually experience when they came to market.
So when Nintendo selected me out of a lottery to go hands-on with the Nintendo Switch 2 in NYC, I jumped at the chance. A lot was still unknown about Nintendo’s upcoming console. Sure, trailers and a Nintendo Direct highlighted its larger size, improved Joy-Cons, and some of the Year One line-up.
It’s a whole other thing going hands-on with the console. Holding the device, playing Mario Kart World in both TV & Handheld Mode, and experiencing six other titles was a fun experience.
Getting a glimpse of games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, talking to third-party developers on how they brought their games to Switch 2, and concluding the experience with the entire reason I wanted a Switch 2 by playing Donkey Kong Bananza.
A childhood dream was fulfilled, and after experiencing the Switch 2 in person, I knew what I had to do.
Nintendo Switch 2 Console Launch & LogNet Coverage
I took it upon myself, after my hands-on with the console, to spearhead LogNet’s coverage on the device. Knowing that it wouldn’t only be me buying a console, we divided and conquered various articles and game reviews.
Working alongside the amazing team of writers at Lords of Gaming (Don Otaku, Digital, and Subagels) and seasoned veterans (Mahmood Ghaffar and Lord Cognito) to cover such a major launch was a huge undertaking.
Reviewing the console itself, two of its optional controllers, and covering the SEGA launch-line up on Switch 2 are things I’m also proud of accomplishing.
Alongside my own projects, the Mario Kart World group review was a ton of fun. Highlighted by the Iron Lords’ own group reviews, this can create a strong critique of a game with multiple viewpoints.
Retro Adventures – Long Island Video Game Expo 2025
Kicking off the trifecta of major gaming events is the Long Island Gaming Expo. This year’s focus was on celebrating the Nintendo Entertainment System, much like last year’s celebration was a deep love for the SEGA Dreamcast. Being able to see iconic aspects of the console, like ROB the Robot and the Power Glove, was cool. However, the biggest surprise was seeing the homebrew community showing off their output on the NES.
Indie projects like Orebody: Binder’s Tale and Shera & the 40 Thieves, among many others, playable on native NES hardware, were impressive to see in person.
But more than enjoying the games themselves, spending time with Cognito and Petey while enjoying the sights and sounds of gaming’s history is always a treat when attending the Long Island Video Game Expo.
One of the funniest moments was seeing Cog’s reaction to Samba de Amigo. Lord Petey and I were well aware of Sonic Team’s Dreamcast music game, but Cog wasn’t, so his commentary, as I was badly playing one of the songs, was hysterical.
Ending our adventure there by playing the upcoming Toxic Crusaders capped off what was a fantastic experience.
From Kaiju’s to Burgers – Anime Expo NYC 2025
Anime Expo NYC 2025 was a fruitful year for me, as I covered exciting upcoming anime-themed games and more. While not nearly as many games compared to Anime NYC 2024, playing Kaiju No. 8: The Game and Blue Protocol: Star Resonance impressed me. Kaiju No. 8: The Game specifically got me interested in watching anime again in earnest.
It was a major reprieve from personal life stresses, as life has a way of testing you in unexpected ways. Having that one day to escape from it all was immensely needed.
Biggest Event Yet – NYC Comic Con 2025
As personal life things settled down, it was time for Lords of Gaming’s biggest Comic-Con yet. Tackling this solo, I covered a massive list of exciting upcoming video games.
From Capcom’s PRAGMATA to TT Games’ Legacy of the Dark Knight, every experience impressed on some level. Alongside covering upcoming games for LogNet, I enjoyed other exciting experiences.
Visiting the Avatar: The Last Airbender booth, taking pictures at the Smiling Friends pop-up, and talking with fellow attendees cemented NYC Comic-Con 2025 as a strong end-of-year experience.
Going to the City – End of Year NYC Visit
Before the year concluded, I visited NYC ahead of New Year’s Eve. Starting from visiting the Nintendo Store, seeing holiday-themed decorations all over the area. With Donkey Kong Bananza being my personal GOTY, I got a DK mug.
I also visited the Microsoft Store and enjoyed my time there. Many are critical of Microsoft Gaming’s actions throughout 2025, but the teams that run the Xbox side of things genuinely love the brand. I felt that was on full display at the Microsoft Store.
A Green X – Microsoft Store Highlights
I treated myself to a Halo 2 shirt on my way out, alongside testing out the Xbox Rog Ally X. Save for the feel of the handheld, I don’t quite echo the high praise others have for the device. Seeing Forza Horizon 5 running well after longer-than-expected load times was nice.
The brand’s history was also celebrated, as the original Xbox prototype and the legacy consoles were on display. The highlight was seeing the Duke Controller, having the Xbox boot screen playing on the controller itself.
A surprise was seeing a Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Stranger Things collaboration happening as of this writing. As you can see with the images below, the Microsoft Store team really nailed the vibe and tone of the show’s era.
Other highlights included seeing new figures at the Tamashii Nations NYC Store, browsing through Bookoff’s selection of games, and enjoying some lovely NYC pizza.
Video Gaming in 2025
Reflecting on everything that happened in 2025, my experiences made me a stronger person. A few years ago, I never would’ve expected to cover a console launch or attend multiple major expos highlighting upcoming game releases.
And doing all that, with major personal life challenges that I needed to overcome, is something I am proud of myself for, looking back on everything.
2026 is a year of great potential and uncertainty. Pricing for a hobby I love has skyrocketed and will continue to do so as real-life factors hinder access for myself and many others. But that won’t stop me from enjoying a hobby I love and growing as a writer in this space.
From outstanding game releases across all platforms, fun experiences that everyone could enjoy, and so much to look forward to in the new year, let’s kick 2026 with a bang and keep rocking!