If you know a person who loves gaming, getting them some kind of digital entertainment makes sense for a gift. But you could be more creative.
These days, you can find a lot gaming-themed items that aren’t actually video games themselves. I’m not even talking about accessories, like controllers or head sets. You can get stuff like replicas, action figures, and even board games. Just by searching for someone’s favorite series, you can find all sorts of fun stuff.
Below, we’ve listed five examples of fun, gaming-themed items that would make for great gifts.
Mega Man Pixel Pal
Normal price: $15
Get it at: GameStop
For: Your retro-loving friends
Above: The best buddies glow in the dark.
Remember how comforting that night light when you were a child? You know what’s even better than dim bulb sticking out of a wall socket? A glowing, pixelated Mega Man. And if Mega Man isn’t your thing, you can get a Mario or Vault Boy from Fallout.
Starcraft Protoss Pylon USB Charger
Normal price: $40
Get it at: Think Geek
For: Real-time strategy friends
Above: You must construct additional pylons.
OK, maybe I just like things that glow. But this Protoss Pylon doesn’t just look exactly like the building from Blizzard’s sci-fi real-time strategy series. It also charges stuff! It’s collectible and functional!
The Ocarina of Time
Normal price: $40
Get it at: Think Geek
For: Zelda and music fans
Above: You can hear the music.
The Ocarina of Time, from the Nintendo 64 title of the same name, is one of the most iconic items in all of gaming. Now only can you own a sweet-looking replica, but you can actually use to play the same songs as Link. I don’t think it will actually summon storms or transport your through time, though.
PokéBall Serving Bowl Set
Normal price: $20
Get it at: Think Geek
For: Pokémon trainers
Above: Yum!
I don’t have any evidence to back this up or anything, but I’m pretty sure all snacks would taste better when eating them out of a bowl shaped like a PokéBall. It’s about the size of a volleyball when together, and you can split this beauty up into two halves, giving you two bowls for your popcorn and chips.
Super Mario Bros. checkers
Normal price: $17
Get it at: Amazon
For: Nintendo fans
OK, this is technically a game, but you know what I mean. It’s not a video game. Checkers is easy and fun, so you can play friends and family from a kid to a grandfather. And this checkers set is modeled after the 8-bit versions of Mario and Luigi from the original Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System, so it can please retro gamers or fans of the famous plumbers.