Winter Veil in Ironforge – even games celebrate the holidays!
The holidays are just around the corner (and in the US, the holiday season already started as Thanksgiving has come and gone!), and we’re here to help you figure out what to get that special gamer in your life. I won’t be covering any specific titles, as that’s too dependent upon personal taste, but there are a lot of good options out there no matter what your price range is. You’ll also find a small section at the bottom for the little ones, and I’m going to recommend some games in this section to round it out because there’s some really neat stuff being released for kids (oh no! I’m going back on my word!).
Under $25
August’s awesome Loot Crate offerings
Loot Crate
I’m placing this in the under-$25 category because one Loot Crate box is about $20, though there are certainly longer subscriptions that you can purchase for a greater price. Loot Crate is a monthly subscription box that cultivates nerdy and geeky things and sends it out every month to their subscribers. This isn’t a gaming specific recommendation, but many gamers are Loot Crate subscribers, and they have had Loot Crates revolving around games before.
Loot Crate’s website, $19.37 for one month.
“N7: Tagged” Lithograph
Lithographs
The BioWare store has some beautiful artwork that you can purchase, including the awesome one above. There are special editions that are more expensive, but most lithographs run about $25 for a print. They also have a large selection of Dragon Age art, if Mass Effect isn’t the favorite.
BioWare Store, $25.
Wear your gaming pride on your wrist.
Game Controller Charm
If you have a gamer on your list who owns (or is lusting after) the Pandora bracelet and wants something a little more off-the-beaten-path, the controller charm could be just what they’re looking for. There are more charms on ThinkGeek’s website (companion cube, 8-bit heart charm, etc.) and they do range in price depending on your metals. You also have the option to buy a leather or metal bracelet to place these on, if your giftee doesn’t currently have one. These are a really cute piece of fine jewelry to help cover our geeky interests that Pandora just doesn’t touch.
ThinkGeek, $14.99 for the charm itself.
Under $50
Alterac Brew Pup and Enchanted Fey Dragon
Virtual Pets and Mounts in World of Warcraft (or other games)
If your favorite gamer has a favorite MMO, don’t forget that they often offer the ability to purchase cute or beautiful non-combat items, such as mounts and pets! You can purchase these without playing the game yourself and send them via email to your giftee. Most pets are $10, and most mounts are $25-30 in WoW. There are also some bundle packs, like the one you see above.
Battle.net, $10-30.
The Skullcandy SLYR headset
Skullcandy SLYR Headset
The SLYR headset is a great sub-$50 (on Amazon, at least) headset. Most nice gaming headsets will run you $100 or more, but the SLYR is a really great set for the price. It is wired, but if that doesn’t bother you (or your giftee), it’s got a bunch of other great benefits. It works on any system (including your PC), and is actually really, really comfortable.
Amazon, $49.98.
Look at these badass leggings. Just look at them.
Jeffie Elite Leggings
Jeffie leggings are amazing. They’re very high quality, opaque, and have some really unique patterns. You can find controller leggings, leggings inspired by Battlestar Galactica, and more. The blue ones above are part of a new, more colourful Jeffie line. The best part is that these leggings are cheaper than most other high quality brands (read: Black Milk), but still awesome. Plan ahead though, many Jeffie items are now made-on-demand and can take up to 2 weeks to ship.
Jeffie’s website, $44.
Under $100
Fly in Style
Travel Boy Carry-On Luggage
Are you looking for a present for your travelling gamer? I travel around a lot and would love a suitcase like this – it certainly stands out if you end up having to check your bag. Plus, check those full swivel-wheels. Sweet.
ThinkGeek, $69.99
Over $100
The beautiful Razer BlackWidow Chroma
Razer BlackWidow Chroma
Guys, this keyboard is beautiful. I have a BlackWidow Ultimate, and I love it, but man am I excited about the Chroma. Not only can you make the keyboard whatever color you want and cycle the colors in a ton of different ways, you can also have the keys light up when touched, or even have certain keys permanently lit for different games (like a MOBA scheme, an FPS scheme, and more). You can actually view and play around with all the color schemes this keyboard has at Razer’s website, and it’s a lot of fun.
Amazon, $149.99.
For Kids
Disney Infiniti 2.0 Character Lineup
Disney Infinity 2.0
I’ll admit, even I had fun playing with Disney Infinity, and will probably get 2.0 eventually. There are so many awesome new features for the new Infinity game, but the best one? You can now play through adventure modes without having to play with a “compatible character”. For someone who has never played the original game before, this means that if you wanted to play as Captain Jack Sparrow with Mr. Incredible, you couldn’t. You had to go buy a figure from the Incredibles lineup, and this restriction is now removed.
Amazon, $54.99-94.30 for the standard edition depending on console. At the time of this post, it is cheapest on PS4.
Wave 1 of Amiibo Characters
Nintendo’s amiibo
Nintendo has also gotten into the playable figurine game with amiibo. These newly-released characters are placed directly on your Wii U gamepad, or your New 3DS (adapters for older 3DS systems will come later) and will interact with their specific games. For example, in the new Super Smash Bros, your can level up and fight with your amiibo characters. Make sure to visit the amiibo website to check which figurines are compatible with which games before purchasing, as there is no standalone amiibo game at this point.
Amazon, $12.96 for most characters.
Kano
For older kids who want to get into electronics and programming, the Kano might be a great choice. Hell, let’s be honest: it’s probably a great gift for an adult that wants to get into this too. Basically, the Kano is a computer that you build and then program yourself, and it contains a complete kit which is very convenient for gift-giving (in comparison to buying a Raspberry Pi by itself). At the end of the day this isn’t a powerful computer, but it’s a great first step for getting into computers.
Kano’s website, $149.
