Everyone with a keyboard and a blog to write on has been scrawling out their own top ten lists for this year, but Time Magazine’s list is the only one your parents are going to see. That makes it important, because this is how the non-gamers out there, you know, the folks making the laws and running the businesses, see us and our hobby. What the mainstream thinks of us defines in ways that we ourselves never could.

Anyhow, the rundown is pretty simple. There’s the GTA IV, the LittleBigPlanet, the Rock Band 2… The games you’d expect from a professional list that draws on sales numbers. But you’ll also find a few surprises, like, where did Braid come from? And what about this flash game, Hunted Forever?

Take a look at the list, in all its horrible slideshow glory. These are the games you’ll be getting for Christmas, and this is what those nice folks in Congress will think about gaming when it comes time to crank out a few more bills. You can start your perilous journey here.