Panic Nation 2025 Community Awards!
2025 Community Awards
From blockbuster movies that actually got us out to the theater to unexpected indie games that stole our hearts - 2025 proved to be a jam-packed year filled with incredible experiences across our favorite mediums.
To celebrate, we're introducing a new annual format where we poll the community on their favorite experiences over the course of the year and immortalize them here for us to reflect back on fondly in the future.
In addition, we'll be highlighting our biggest category - Community Member of the Year - to honor and thank those who work to make our corner of the internet so special.
So without further ado, let's jump into the awards!
Best Movie or TV Show (TIE!)
Predator: Badlands
Despite being the seventh installment in the Predator franchise, Predator: Badlands sets itself apart by being a standalone experience that shakes things by starring Dek, a young Yautja warrior, in the leading role.
A visual feast with impeccable VFX and fierce cinematic action, Predator: Badlands also manages to add metaphoric meat to the bones with a dramatic plot and a Star Wars style flair that leaves you invested from the opening scene all the way to the end credits.
Weapons
Weapons is a mystery horror film that follows a strange case of missing children after seventeen kids from the same classroom get out of bed at 2:17 AM and flee into the night.
While the film is difficult to discuss without divulging spoilers, it provides a wonderful blend of horror and suspense accompanied by a dash of comedy that left us eager for more.
Check out Panic Nation's full spoiler-free review of the film here!
Best Tabletop or Trading Card Game
UNO
Step aside Magic, the king refuses to be dethroned.
An absolute classic that has filled many community members game nights since the early days of the Xbox 360, UNO is a title that continues to dominate play dates thanks to it's simple yet chaotic gameplay.
Previous community events have ended with members completely depleting the card deck by refusing to play a card and many friendships have been tested as multiple +2s target the same victim over and over.
While classic and deeper tabletop experiences such as Magic the Gathering, Warhammer 40K, and Dungeons & Dragons have begun to infect more and more members of the community since 2020, with a significant bump in 2025 - UNO is the communitie's favorite card game that simply refuses to die.
Best Content Creator
Chon Digital
Originally focused exclusively on creating video game content, Chon Digital branched out into other topics over the course of 2025 with video essays on various topics like Why the Flat Design Era is FINALLY Over, The Disappearance of Third Places, and How We Came to Hate Technology, which led to a surge in popularity on YouTube.
Chon is a Gen Z video essayist who creates videos to discuss things on his mind with a witty sense of humor and a whole lot of heart.
His videos often dive into a multitude of topics and tend to be based on his current interests or thoughts - though they often lean towards disconnecting from algorithms and instead focusing on being human.
While his humor may not connect with everyone, it's clear that his content is created with passion and care and for those who enjoy his creations - it's a no-brainer to chondle that subscribe button.
You can check out Chon Digital's YouTube page here or watch one of his videos below!
Game of the Year (Unlimited & Runner Ups)
Avowed - Obsidian Entertainment
Set in the world of Eora, the same universe as the Pillars of Eternity titles, Avowed is an action role-playing game where players create their own 'godlike', a person who has been blessed (or cursed!) with the physical aspects of a god that chose them in the womb, and set off to the Living Lands where they assume the role of an envoy for the Aedyrian Empire and are tasked to investigate a mysterious plague known only as the "Dream Scourge".
Players are able to cater their equipment to fit their playstyle by using a range of melee weapons, ranged weapons (including guns!), wands, and spell books to help fight their way through the untamed wilderness and discover the truth of what lies within the heart of the Living Lands.
While not a true open-world RPG, Avowed instead opts to pack it's unique zones full of life and mysteries to keep the player engaged until the end of their journey - and it's a journey that they won't make alone thanks to the companionship of various characters who can join you on your quest.
Avowed is one of three games released by Obsidian Entertainment in 2025 and it's lush beauty and rich lore helps it stand apart from the pack and has left members of the community eager to see what comes next.
Game of the Year! (TIE!)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Sandfall Interactive
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lit the world on fire when it released on April 24th, 2025.
This ambitious, stylish, and highly unique role-playing title was created by a small team and started as a passion project inspired by childhood favorites including the Final Fantasy series.
Upon it's reveal, many people were intrigued but wary of such an ambitious title that seemed to come out of nowhere, but their concerns were quickly laid to rest once the game was playable.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 impacted a significant portion of the Panic Nation community including those who didn't consider themselves fans of the turn-based RPG genre.
The characters, story, world, music, and gameplay all meld into a perfect symphony that begs to be heard around the world.
PEAK - Aggro Crab & Landfall
Often referred to as the game of the Summer, PEAK was an unexpected smash hit when it launched on June 16th, 2025.
This cooperative climbing game supports up to four players who work together to try and ascend a pre-generated mountain while using proximity chat to often hilarious effect.
Players can find items along their journey to help or hinder their progress and collaboration often gives way to mischief thanks to excellent ragdoll physics and exceptional audio design as your friends screams grow farther away during their sudden descent and likely demise.
PEAK serves as an excellent multiplayer experience that brings the community together for laughs and fun in a time when we need it most.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Game Freak
Pokémon Legends: Z-A takes the traditional Pokémon formula and mixes it up by replacing the turn-based battling mechanics with real-time battles similar to MOBA titles.
The player sends out their Pokémon and gives commands for attacks by pressing the respective face button which executes the attack and then starts a cooldown timer before the attack can be used again.
This title successfully continues the Legends strategy of providing a unique twist on the classic Pokémon formula and tells a story with themes many would consider mature for a Pokémon title.
With side quests and a fun multiplayer mode, the fun doesn't have to stop once you roll credits, and this game has left some players of the community very excited for the next generation when it hits Nintendo Switch consoles in 2026!
Check out Panic Nation's full review of the game here!
Community Member of the Year (TIE!)
Bubbafett5611
A constant presence since the earliest days of the community, Bubbafett has always strived to create, innovate, and include.
His talent for technology has led to many unique projects of the community being possible from the earliest days of forum graphics to this year's creation of this very website and TOXIC FM's live radio.
Inclusive in all that he does, Bubbafett invites new people into the community to experience what we have to offer and makes sure to do his best to make them feel welcome and included.
He's never too shy to pop into any conversation and is always open to feedback.
As a core pillar of the community, Panic Nation wouldn't be the same without him, and we are forever thankful for his friendship and dedication to making our corner of the internet truly our own.
Jazzkill
Known for her quick-wit, sarcastic humor, fierce loyalty, artistry, and elite discord moderation, Jasmine has a long-standing legacy in the community.
Never too shy to call out bullshit as she sees it and confront those who are out of line, Jasmine has always made sure to stand up for what is right and helps us never forget who we are along the way.
Her eye for design is responsible for the visual identity of the entire community and it is an identity that is often praised.
2025 has been a catalyst of change for Jasmine as she's stepped away from gaming to take a break and focus on other aspects of her life.
While we support her and this decision, the constant VC discussions of how much she is missed along with these votes from the community prove that the void her absence creates is felt by all of us.
We love you, Jazzy. Always.
Vizzy
From the early days of inadvertently creating a community catchphrase with "damn shes she really" to the now almost daily hangouts in the voice chat with anyone who may be around, Vizzy is a new member of the community who somehow manages to feel like she's been here all along.
Always ready to play, she manages to make everyone feel welcome with her kind, caring, and genuine personality, as well as her raunchy sense of humor.
She provides fresh ideas and activities for the community such as being the one to suggest the laid back social nights which removed the barrier of entry allowing anyone to join up and hang out, as well as founding the brand new community bookclub alongside fellow community member Takuma_Yuba.
Topping all of this off by being the designated community goth-mommy leaves us all very excited for the future with our collective new best friend.
Runner-Ups!
While Bubbafett5611, Jazzkill, and Vizzy took the most votes for Community Member of the Year with 63.6% of the vote each, they were far from the only members nominated and voted for in the 2025 Community Awards.
We want to briefly highlight those members as well as a thank you for their contributions to the community and friendship along the way!
AR0
AR0 was nominated with high-praise, referred to as the "Fortnite God", and praise given to her efforts in running the RUST server alongside Bubbafett5611, as well as her willingness to hop onto many off-shoot games just to mix things up.
CaptainSlayer
It's odd to write something about yourself without feeling like loser, but I'll give it my best shot.
I was nominated for running community events, creating blog post such as this one, refusing to give up on the community (technically not true - I quit once! Whoops!), and engaging everyone.
II Vo1tag3 II
Nominated for always being around since the very beginning and willingness to hop onto any game in rotation. Fun to play and hang out with!
JCsaBrat
Mama JC, plain and simple. Nominated for being a staple in the community and often considered to be the most thoughtful and caring member of the community.
Kermit
Nominated for bringing new friends into the fold and simply being Kermit. A now long-standing member of the community who isn't always active in game - but is always lurking and ready to send ridiculous shit at a moment's notice!
Little Orphan Ani
Nominated for being extremely welcoming and friendly to new members. One of the most active members on the Discord server and a friend who has been around since the very beginning.
Raieofsunshine
Nominated for being thoughtful and helpful to anyone who needs her. Often popping into the server or into DMs with advice, care, or just a helpful ear.
Takuma_Yuba
Runner-up by a single vote with 54.5% of the votes - tied for the most nominations! Nominated for being extremely active, friendly, and welcoming to everyone. Many folks wrote in to say how fun he is to play with. Witty and funny. A long-time member who recently returned to the throne. Welcome home, Julian!
Summary
2025 was a wild year.
A lot of us had plenty of ups and certainly way more of us had plenty of downs.
We welcomed new friends into the community, found new ways to spend time together, and discovered some of our new favorite things along the way.
In a time where we are often obsessed with the chaos of the world around us, it's nice to always have a space we can fall back to, remove our masks, and simply exist with our friends.
Panic Nation would not be the same without all of you.
No matter if you've been here for 10 years or 10 minutes, you help us make this as place worth sharing.
Thank you for everything that you do for this community and for making this my favorite place to be.
... and as always, thanks for playing!
💚 - Tyler (CaptainSlayer)