Whether or not you have fun Christmas, Festivus, or Saturnalia, chances are you’ll properly have scored some videogame-related loot final month. Perhaps your office Secret Santa delivered and you bought a mousepad you will truly get some use out of? Perhaps some blessed soul purchased no matter sport was on the high of your wishlist? Perhaps a distant relative despatched a wad of money in a card and also you simply purchased it your self? Perhaps any individual gave you a brand new GPU, wherein case can I be adopted by your loved ones please?
Did you get any gaming presents final yr?
Listed below are our solutions, plus some from our forum.
Chris Livingston, Options Producer: No. However I did get a brand new Yeti mug which I contemplate to be 100% a gaming and productiveness accent as a result of I want espresso to perform and I want that espresso to stay scorching and Yeti mugs maintain that caffeinated gas scorching for ages. Critically, I sprint by means of my first cup of espresso however nurse my second, and even when I go away it untouched for hours it is nonetheless good and scorching. It is a actually good mug.
Robin Valentine, Print Editor: I by no means actually ask for gaming presents from buddies or household lately. I get meals and socks and stuff as an alternative. This yr, although, I made a decision to get myself one thing—an Xbox Elite Series 2 controller. I’ve all the time been an actual nerd about controllers, and I’ve needed an Elite for a very long time, nevertheless it’s all the time felt too costly to justify. Effectively, after every part that is occurred within the final couple of years, I am completed having to justify issues to myself. I deserve all of the overpriced items of plastic I would like, thanks.
I adore it up to now, too—it feels correctly luxurious in my arms, and I do suppose it is a real improve to my gaming. Definitely it is an enchancment over my previous Xbox One controller’s unfastened d-pad and spongy bumpers.
Wes Fenlon, Senior Editor: I used to be gifted this set of gaming coasters for Christmas, which I’ve to confess should not precisely my aesthetic. But it surely was a pleasant thought! They usually’re respectable coasters with cork backs, which suggests I will most likely break them out subsequent time I’ve various individuals over and want to guard each picket floor in the home.
I gave some gaming presents this yr that I am pleased about, although. My companion’s youthful cousins all sport, so I gave one Hitman 3, one the unlikely however successful combo of Baba Is You and Closing Fantasy 9, and one some Riot Factors to seize a snazzy outfit or gunbuddy or regardless of the youngsters are into in Valorant lately. Gown to impress!
Katie Wickens, {Hardware} Author: I lastly bought my arms on a Sneki Snek head pillow which I would been longing for ages. Something to make my demon chair somewhat extra snug once I really feel the necessity to rip and tear. Since Razer ignored my emails asking for a assessment mannequin, I lastly caved. I put it on my Christmas record and my companion bought it for me, as a result of he is additionally a gamer and he will get the struggles. Oh, and technically I bought an RTX 3060 as an early Christmas current, regardless that my companion paid for it about 10 months in the past… and I’ve to pay him again, sadly. So perhaps it does not rely.
Lauren Morton, Affiliate Editor: This yr my companion gifted me the Steelseries Apex 7 keyboard I would had my eye on. I used to be able to downsize after six years on a keyboard with 22 macro keys—which I not often used—so I opted for the tenkeyless model. One other relative bought wrangled into getting me a matching mouse. I will admit I’ve made enjoyable of the cheese grater mouse design up to now, nevertheless it’s the one white Steelseries mouse in the mean time and I respect the dedication to consistency. The feel is not bizarre whereas I am utilizing it, fortunately, however my concern of eventual hand goo in these holes stays. I even spent an hour in my Steelseries app organising colours and results for each whereas on vacation, so I am feeling fairly good in regards to the desk aesthetic for this yr.
Fraser Brown, On-line Editor: I am notoriously troublesome to get presents for, apparently, however a minimum of once I was youthful one thing gaming-related was normally going to be a win. Not so, now. Precise video games are out, since there is a huge danger of getting me one thing I have already got. And the stuff I want, like a brand new GPU, is way too costly for me to really feel snug receiving as a present. This yr individuals largely bought me stuff for the canine, which is rather more sensible.
Nat Clayton, Options Producer: I am unsure my household ever is aware of what to get me, so it was largely simply socks and jammies as per. My brother did cruelly get me a replica of the board sport Pandemic, which I count on to have the ability to play with out harrowing undertones in roughly 5 to fifteen years. Like Chris, nevertheless, I contemplate espresso a vital piece of gaming tools, so I handled myself to a stable kilo of grind from an area roaster.
Andy Chalk, NA Information Lead: I am too previous to get “enjoyable” presents anymore, though my recently-turned-legal-drinking-age nephew made a degree of shopping for me a bunch of beer, which was beautiful. I thought of shopping for myself some new gear as an alternative—I’ve had an urge for a brand new keyboard for some time now—however I am not too wanting to drop a number of hundred bucks on one with out with the ability to attempt it first, so after hemming and hawing over varied product listings and evaluations, I gave up on that concept. I do not really want the rest, I suppose, and I could not work up the vitality for consumerism for its personal sake, so… perhaps subsequent yr?
Morgan Park, Workers Author: Our buddy group performed loads of Overwatch this yr, so when Secret Santa got here round, my buddy Ian actually delivered. This… um, pronounced mouse pad with built-in wrist relaxation was truly a present for my companion who mains Mercy. For some motive it has not grow to be her most popular mouse pad for Overwatch, nevertheless it has been good to sometimes look at it awkwardly amassing mud on a desk and snigger. I attempted it out for a couple of minutes and located the wrist relaxation delicate, but mockingly restrictive. Most FPS gamers use decrease mouse sensitivity for precision, however resting my wrist between the squishy cheeks made it laborious to maneuver it in any respect. 12/10 reward, 3/10 mouse pad.
DXCHASE: I bought a Nintendo Sport Boy mug that, when one thing heated is added to the cup, it modifications the display screen of the Sport Boy to Tremendous Mario, so it seems to be prefer it goes from off to on, fairly neat.
McStabStab: I bought a brand new mechanical keyboard with cherry blue switches. I had a cherry blue “equal” keyboard at dwelling nevertheless it simply wasn’t the identical. Now I’ve my previous keyboard on the workplace and my new one with the nice switches at dwelling.
Thank god I’ve my very own workplace in any other case I would drive my coworkers loopy with the clicky-clacky!
ZedClampet: I bought a Steam reward card from my spouse, and my dad gave me the normal card with money. It is all the time good to get a lift through the Steam Winter Sale.
Krud: Because of a sure virus making the rounds, our Christmas has truly been delayed to this weekend, so I am unsure what all I am getting. That mentioned, I’ve already been gifted two new [to me] board video games [Imhotep and Forbidden Island], a set of heavy steel cube [not Led Zeppelin-themed or anything, just literally heavy and made of metal], and a Quest-a-Day RPG calendar. Nothing PC-related, nevertheless.
Edit so as to add: Actually, as soon as pc video games went primarily to digital obtain format, the variety of games-as-gifts dropped considerably for me, largely as a result of too many non-gamer individuals (aka most individuals I would get presents from besides my spouse) do not appear to grasp how sport playing cards work, regardless that they perceive Amazon and Google Play properly sufficient.
Withywarlock: Not for Christmas, however my girlfriend bought me some Name of Responsibility: Warzone socks as a part of our first anniversary. A pleasant topper to our week away in Bristol. Not gonna lie, these are the comfiest socks I’ve ever worn in my life.
