Skip to main content [aditude-amp id="stickyleaderboard" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":2114879,"post_type":"feature","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,pc-gaming,","session":"B"}']
Feature

Gift guide: Holiday gifts for gamers that aren’t video games

It's a me.

Image Credit: GamesBeat
For more like this, check out the Intel Game Dev Channel

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.

[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":2114879,"post_type":"feature","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,pc-gaming,","session":"B"}']

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.

Image Credit: GameStop

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

[aditude-amp id="medium1" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":2114879,"post_type":"feature","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,pc-gaming,","session":"B"}']

Above: You must construct additional pylons.

Image Credit: Think Geek

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

[aditude-amp id="medium2" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":2114879,"post_type":"feature","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,pc-gaming,","session":"B"}']

Above: You can hear the music.

Image Credit: Think Geek

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

[aditude-amp id="medium3" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":2114879,"post_type":"feature","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,pc-gaming,","session":"B"}']

Above: Yum!

Image Credit: Think Geek

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

[aditude-amp id="medium4" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":2114879,"post_type":"feature","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,pc-gaming,","session":"B"}']

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.