How To Pick The Best (And Worst!) Christmas Gifts For Gamers

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These are some excellent tips for buying gifts for console gamers. Not only did he send in the top five things to buy them, we also get the top five things not to buy!

Top Five Best Gift Ideas for Console Gamers

• Games. I realize that games are expensive, but chances are you can’t get one of the good ones this close to Christmas ’cause they tend to be sold out. How about two or three of the platinum hits? They’re about the same price total — from $19.99 to $29.99 — and you really feel like, “hey, it’s a great gift,” and he/she will think, “wow, that’s a lot of games” or “I always wanted to play that.”
• Accessories. This is a hit or miss. Something like a second controller, an extra battery pack, or a charging station — these are gifts that most any gamer can use. I’d recommend against the cameras, as they lead to other issues.
• Gift cards for purchasing games and customization features. MS points or even PS3 will soon have their cards for sale, Wii I believe also has its own points cards. You can also make these part of a nice gift box. A 12 month Live membership for Xbox 360 users isn’t too shabby, either.
• Okay, now those are a bit obvious. Let’s try something you might not think of. Have you got a nephew who has been playing online but can only do so by disconnecting the main computer? Why not give him a router? This is a major tool for most any gamer — console or PC. How bout Wi-Fi? Not very recommendable for gaming, but it is an option.
• This is the last item, so I’ll try and make it a good one. An A/V selector… the television is often disregarded. It’s fine if you have to disconnect a cable here and there, but if it’s the TV in the family room and you’re out of connections, you will have to share one with another device. How about hooking it up to the A/V device and allowing room for even more growth? This is especially a great idea for those with multiple consoles.

Top Five Worst Gift Ideas for a Console Gamer

• CD wallets and cleaning kits. If I want to clean my console, all I need to do is go get a soft towel, dampen it a little, and I’m good to go. I don’t need soft wipes for my plastic and metal case. Most gamers aren’t displaying their consoles in a special case so you don’t really care bout fingerprints and such. With CD cases, we all know what happens. You’ve been into most people’s cars. They have the wallets with games here and there, out of order. Most don’t realize, as you slide a disk in and out, the teeth for the zipper can start to scratch it once the wallet starts to get full.
• Cheap A/V cables. Okay, now I don’t really know why you would be buying some for someone as a gift, so just don’t. If you can’t get them expensive Monster cables, don’t bother. The gift will not be appreciated and at best, it’ll end up tangled and never used. The original cables that ship with a console will always outperform anything from Mad Catz and the like.
• Cheap bargain bin games. This one is a no brainer. In the bargain bin you will find games such as Battle Tech, Bionicle Heroes, and Happy Feet. Yes, they made a game. Now, while you may find some good titles, chances are you will crash and burn. Avoid this at all costs. You may be able to get by if it’s for a seven-year-old, but you try this on a teenager and, well, you get the idea.
• Strategy guides: Who uses these? Chances are if they’re stuck, they’ll either hit up the message boards online for help or ask a friend. You don’t buy a book that is in essence equal to being led by the hand through a haunted house. If they can’t figure it out, and they need a guide, they have no business playing the game.
• If you want to buy a console game for someone (say, the Wii), and it’s sold out, do NOT get a rain check. You pay for the console that may not come in for many weeks, and they give you an empty box to wrap. Poor Johnny opens it, and is tormented knowing that it’s empty, and there’s no game. Spend the money on something else, and get the game later.