Get some Christmas Hearthstone warmth with this digital Murloc fireplace

It's nearly Christmas, and that means at least two things: awkward political conversations with relatives and getting drunk at midday. It doesn't need to mean those things, though: you could spend time with the Murloc instead, the amphibian Hearthstone / World of Warcraft race which wavers between very cute and utterly petrifying.

How would you do that? You could play the below video on repeat, kindly uploaded to Blizzard's YouTube channel, depicting an ever-burning CGI fireplace, and accompanied by some (frankly disturbing) Murloc Christmas singalongs. To be honest, my suggestion would be to mute the bloody thing and just enjoy the pleasant fire as it burns in perpetuity, while reflecting on your defeats and victories in the year 2016.

On the other hand, maybe you like the music? It's feasible. In which case, here's a good way to get those pesky argumentative relatives to go home.

Or if that's a bit too moody and ethereal for you, maybe play this metal ode to the Murloc race (on repeat, of course).

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.