This article titled "18 Christmas gift ideas for the gamer in your life" was written by Keith Stuart, for theguardian.com on Friday 4th December 2015 12.47 UTCSo you’ve bought the gamer in your life all the blockbuster winter releases they asked for – congratulations, they’re going to be very happy. But what else do you get for that special person who’s probably going too spend much of the festive season sat in front of the TV shooting at aliens?
Here are 20 video game-themed suggestions, ranging from clothing to books. Sure, you could also buy them a bike or a kite or something to try and coax them outside, but frankly that’s your problem – good luck with that. In the meantime, we have cuddly toys and comics.
1. Tekken shoulder bag (£15)
Namco Bandai Europe has just opened an online merchandise store full of mugs, hoodies, t-shirts, artwork and other goodies themed around its games. There’s a lot of Pac-Man stuff obviously, but I like this Tekken bag featuring the classic fighting game’s loveable Panda character. It’s perfect for hauling your Vita or 3DS around, or doing the weekly shop (no 5p carriers for you), and it’s made from recycled materials, so you’re effectively saving the environment through stylish accessorising.
2. Astro A40 gaming headset (£200)
OK, these are among the most expensive gaming headsets you can buy, but the Astro A40s are used by pro gamers and feature great build quality, superb Dolby 7.1 Digital surround sound and plenty of customisation options to get the audio levels just right for your requirements. If you’re looking for something cheaper, the Sennheiser PC 310, HyperX Cloud II and Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Alpha are all pretty good options and will support PCs and most consoles – just make sure you buy the right version for the machine your recipient is playing on.
3. Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas jumper (£35)
Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to spend the whole of Christmas day wearing this enormously cute and tasteful Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas jumper from gaming merchandise specialist Numskull? Available in an array for sizes and totally unisex, this high-fashion item features the legendary hedgehog in his famous finger-wagging pose, as if to say “no, you cannot have Christmas without Sonic”. And he is right of course. Although, if for some reason the hedgehog doesn’t cut it, Numskulls has a whole bunch of alternative pullovers featuring everything from Star Wars to Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate.
4. K’Nex Mario Kart bike building set (£8)
Building toy manufacturer K’Nex has a whole range of Nintendo tie-ins including this Mario Kart set, which comes with a buildable Mario figure and bike. You can also get Yoshi and Donkey Kong versions, as well as karts and a Starting Line playset to race them all on – though that might be taking things a bit far if you’re over the age of twelve. Apparently the packaging doubles as a ramp so you can set it up on the dining table and see if you can launch poor Mario over the turkey.
5. Thrustmaster T300RS steering wheel (£270)
If your loved one is a fan of racing simulations but they’re still using a standard joypad, they are, quite frankly, doing it wrong. The new T300RS is a force feedback steering wheel offering precise control and a smooth, silent feedback motor. The wheel comes with two metal pedals offering progressive resistance, so you get authentic control over acceleration and braking. Right now, the wheel is only compatible with the PC, PlayStation 3 and PS4, though Thurstmaster does do other wheels for the Xbox One.
6. Minecraft light-up torch (£25)
A lot of the official Minecraft merchandise is expensive and a little disappointing, but I really like this torch, designed to resemble the vital piece of mine lighting equipment from Mojang’s hugely successful construction game. You won’t need a stick and a piece of coal as this one is made from plastic, and it emits a warm orange glow making it a perfect night light. You can even wall mount it, to keep those zombies away. The torch is available from a variety of online stores and toy shops.
7. ZX Spectrum Vega console (£90)
Designed and built in the UK and endorsed by Sir Clive Sinclair, this miniaturised version of the classic Speccy connects to your TV via USB and A/V cables, giving you access to a thousand pre-loaded licensed games from the 1980s. There’s also a micro SD slot so you can load up extra titles. It’s a reasonably expensive way to rediscover classics like Jet Set Willy and Chuckie Egg, but if you know a nostalgic veteran gamer who goes misty-eyed at the mere mention of the phrase “Kempston joystick interface”, this is for them.
8. Streets of Rage vinyl soundtrack (£20)
London-based label Data-Discs makes absolutely beautiful video game soundtrack albums in conjunction with the original composers. The Streets of Rage album takes us scorching back to the days of the Mega Drive and is based on audio files taken from the old NEC PC-88 files. It also comes with two lithographic prints featuring art from the game packaging. The company is specialising on Sega right now, with further soundtrack releases Shenmue, Shinobi III and Super Hang-On all just as lusciously packaged. Try sticking one of these on at the family Christmas disco.
9. Hardware: The Definitive SF Works of Chris Foss (£25)
This beautiful hardback book is a retrospective of the legendary science fiction artist Chris Foss who has illustrated hundreds of classic SF novels (as well as providing concept art for movies such as Alien, Superman and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s unreleased version of Dune). It’s not a new publication, but if there is someone in your life who’s looking forward to next year’s space exploration game No Man’s Sky – likely to be one of the major PlayStation 4 releases of the year – this is the book from them. Foss was a major inspiration on developer Hello Games and his influence can be seen in the title’s super stylised spacecraft and richly colourful alien environments.
10. Street Fighter Ryu Pixel bricks (£8)
Created by licensed giftware specialist Paladone these teeny Street Fighter models are designed to look like the pixellated game visuals of the Super Nintendo era. Ryu comes as 181 blocks which you (or your lucky gaming friend) painstakingly put together to reconstruct the classic pugilist. There are also Blanka and Ken models so you could get them all and keep a veteran Capcom fan entertained on Christmas day. They’re available from Amazon and a host of other digital stores.
11. Metal Gear Solid Diamond Dogs T-shirt (£15)
There’s plenty of Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain merchandise out there right now, including the official action figure, which is nice, but also £100. However, this T-shirt recognising the Diamond Dogs mercenary gangs is the classiest option for fans of of the latest Metal Gear stealth ‘em up. Officially licensed by Konami the shirt logo has a 1980s neon look, which makes it cool even if no one else understands what the heck a Diamond Dog is.
12. Scuf Infinity1 and 4PS controllers (£100)
These high-end customisable controllers feature interchangeable fascias so you can opt for a range of colours and designs. But the important parts are the specially designed analogue thumb pads and extra paddle levers on the base of the pad, providing easier access to button functions. These are the preferred controllers of pro players and they’re available for Xbox One (the Infinity1) and PlayStation 4 (the 4PS).
13. Fallout 4 Monopoly (£30)
It’s the apocalypse – do not pass go, do not collect £200! At some point over Christmas your gaming friend is going to have to stop playing Fallout 4 on his/her console and enjoy some quality time with friends and relatives. With this version of the classic property trading board game, you get the best of both worlds. Naturally, all the squares and playing pieces are based on features from Bethesda’s role-playing adventure – and houses and hotels are renamed shacks and vaults.
14. Grand Theft Auto V Chop plush (£28)
There isn’t much cuteness in the world of GTA V, but Rockstar has managed to create some with this plush toy based on Franklin’s faithful Rottweiler, Chop. The little fella comes complete with a leather collar, a bullet whistle and what the publisher refers to as a “secret stash pocket” in his underside. What the heck would you want to hide in a cuddly dog? We’ll leave that up to you, or whichever lucky friend you buy it for.
15. Japanese pop culture snack set (£13)
If you have a friend who’s really into Japanese games, manga and anime, this food set from Japan Centre may be just the thing. The nine items include a variety of biscuits, chocolates, sweets and noodle pots all branded with characters from popular cartoons and comics. The company also has a vast range of other Japanese pop culture goodies on its website, so if scoffing sherbet sweets and wasabi peas doesn’t appeal, there will be something else suitable.
16. DIY Gamer kit (£65)
Designed by clever east London inventor Technology Will Save US, this DIY Gamer Kit lets you build your own handheld console (based on the Arduino hobbyist electronics board) then code your own games for it – or play the built-in selection. If you buy this for a friend, they’ll need a soldering iron to make it, but it’s worth it for this cool little gadget. The company also has a range of slightly less demanding kits including a very basic synthesizer.
17. Books by Guardian games writers (£9-)
Three contributors to the Guardian’s games section released books this year and if your gift recipient is a fan of our video game writing, they’re all worth a look (none are published by us). Simon Parkin’s Death by Video Games looks at the highs and lows of worldwide culture of gaming, Cara Ellison’s Embed with Games follows her year living with indie developers all over the world and Rich Stanton’s A Brief History of Video Games is a self-explanatory romp through the last 40 years of the games industry.
18. Wakka Wakka gamer bean bag (£50-)
Of course, having somewhere comfortable to sit is vital for those weekend-long Fallout 4 sessions, and this Pac-Man-themed bean bag from UK manufacturer Rucomfy may be just the thing. Made of durable, machine-washable material and available in three sizes, it also features Namco’s classic maze game emblazoned on the side. You can even add your own name and high score.- Is now the right time to buy a new video game console?
- Sega Mega Drive: why retro consoles are about more than nostalgia
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