Paige FTW: A Gamer’s Gift Guide
I don’t know about you, but I know I had a minor heart attack when I realized that, oh man, it’s December already, and I am so behind on my gift preparations. So I wrote up a little guide to help you (in case you, too, are less than on it).
Buy a subscription instead of a game.
Frankly, you can’t go wrong with gifting someone a PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live or Nintendo Switch Online membership. Everyone needs one to play online, period, so you deftly avoid all concerns about whether they like/already have a game you want to give them.
Consider DLC.
Most people do not buy DLC for their games … at least not immediately (hardcore cases excluded). Grabbing someone a season pass for a title is a smart move, if you know they have the game. An easy way to do this is to, of course, check their accounts to see if they have the trophies or achievements unlocked for a title before making your purchase.
Don’t buy accessories.
Nobody really likes peripherals, do they? Maybe an extra controller is an acceptable gift, but pretty much nothing else ever is. If someone wants a keyboard that hooks up to a console, they can buy it themselves.
Do it digitally.
Yes, it’s nice to have something unwrapped under a tree. But digital gifts are just easier for gamers nowadays. You avoid plastic waste and, if you do it by Steam, you know exactly what your friend already has. If not, a gift card (with a note about what game you wanted them to purchase) is probably a preferable gift to a single title. The option of choice is underrated, in my opinion.
Maybe don’t buy a game at all.
All the gamers I know have a fondness for figurines, T-shirts and novelty items related to games. So maybe look in that direction instead of a literal video game. It never hurts to be creative.
