Close search results
Close search results
Gifts Gaming Children
Love, That Aren’t
More Games
Author: Jo Robertson

16/11/2021 / 2 years ago / Author: Jo Robertson


If you have a child who’s Christmas wish list is a list of video games, we have some game related gift ideas that aren’t just more games. These are great ways to expand your child’s hobby beyond the screen and discover new creative pastimes.

Game Related Books

Christmas annuals are a gift tradition older than time itself. They’re a lovely Christmassy thing to receive. I remember the eager anticipation of a new Blue Peter annual each year. These days you can find just the same sort of thing, but about the latest games your kids are playing.

For younger children, this is a great way to get them a book-ish gift that ties in with their favorite game: Minecraft, Pokemon, Robolx and lots of others. For children who want a bit more substance (and something that is going to last beyond boxing day) there are lots of video game themed paperbacks. From The Legend of Zelda to Halo or Knights and Bikes, they offer stories set in video game worlds and are a great way to bring the game to life in a different way.

If you have older teenagers who love gaming, there’s a huge range of fan books out there. My grown-up daughter is very into the Last of Us and the art around it. There are some great books in this genre about the making of these games and the art that goes into them.

Video Game Board Games

Video game themed board games are a great way for the whole family to get involved in a game that one of you enjoys playing. A large proportion of video game board games out there are aimed at the 14+ age category, such as Halo, Gears of War and Portal. But there are some for younger players such as several versions of Monopoly for Zelda, Fortnite and Super Mario that are great. If you’re not a Monopoly fan, how about Plants V’s Zombies Risk?

There are other board games that aren’t themed on specific games but draw on video game play style to create their challenge. Carcassonne is a classic in our house and the kids love the map making play as you take turns to place tiles. Escape is another popular one for us, and recreates the cooperative gaming team work in its Tomb Raider style escape the pyramid play complete with time-limiting soundtrack.

Role Play Games

My youngest son got into the Warhammer tabletop games you play with little plastic painted figures towards the end of his primary school years. I was glad he found a hobby outside of video games. Sadly the club he went to at our local shop was curtailed by the pandemic and he was a bit hobby-less for a while.

But since starting High School he’s got into Dungeons & Dragons, playing online with friends during the lockdowns and now back at school at an after-school club. These are games where you go on imaginary adventures that one player curates with a rule book and dice.

Tabletop and Role Play games are a great cross over with video games. They create fantasy worlds like the video games children play but focus more on encouraging imagination, creativity and collaboration. If your child is into video games there's a good chance they will enjoy a role play game. There are even Role Play games that have spun off from popular video games, like the Sea of Thieves Role Play game.

Get Gaming Outside

For children who enjoy video games it’s often the exploration and discovery of new worlds that gets them excited. They are primed for gifts that let them do this in the real world. This can be as simple as a compass, penknife and map that they can use out on the moors, or as involved as a book about Letterboxing or Geocaching treasure hunts.

Another angle of this real-world video game gift can focus on running or walking. Subscription to exercise apps can open the door to progressing and tracking fitness like they do in the real world. Pair this with some new trainers and exercise kit and it’s a nice little gift they may not be expecting but are likely to warm to.

Summing Up

We have some resources on the database to further your plans and thinking about this. There is the Lists of Popular Hobbies for Gamers and Physically Active Video Games that can spark ideas about possible gifts.

You can also browse the Curated Lists of Educational Games to uncover related hobbies like Flying Things, Gardening, Fishing or Making Machines. Or, the other way around, you can look up a favourite game like Minecraft on the database and browse down to the bottom of the similar games page to see what themes and interests it may spark:
Hopefully this has given you some ideas of gifts for your gamers that aren’t just more games. Think outside the box and there are some lovely hobbies, pastimes and pursuits your gaming child is ready to discover because of their love of gaming.
Taming Gaming Book Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships.

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Subscribe
Carina Initiatives
PlayStation
HSBC
GameOpedia
Xbox
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Discord
Contact Us
About