Shopping for gamers can be tough. If you know us, you love us and we're pretty easy to please. If you don't know us and simply say, "Oh they play video games..." well that makes things difficult. So what I thought to do was write out a Holiday Shopping Guide to end the last week before Christmas. If you are a gamer, like me, you have not done your shopping yet and don't care. However, if you are buying for a gamer, this list will help you tremendously.
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First, ask what games they play. Don't be shy, take an interest in our world and find out what is out there. Just because a person plays MMOs does not mean they play WoW. Look past the pink elephant for cooler gifts that would make any MMO fan happy. Here is my first idea:

Star Wars: The Old Republic Beta Key - Bwahahaha!!! I am sorry, but it is what every MMO player wants for the holidays this year, right? Okay, I know, ask C3-PO the odds of getting this any time soon, I am sure he'll have a number for you. Be cool and say, "Never tell me the odds!" and hope for the best. May your Holiday wish come true!

In all seriousness there are some great gifts out there for gamers. I will start with the game of the moment lately and that is Star Trek Online. The Star Trek Online Collector's Edition is pretty cool. If you have an MMO fan or Trekkie in the family this is a great gift to get them going on STO. Not only that, it offers some cool things in the box set which really make for fun Star Trek gifts. Heck you get a Deep Space Nine uniform and some other Trek goodies that would even bring a smile to a Klingon's face.

Going down the MMO trail we find that BlizzCon has passed us by. Well maybe you got your gifts after waiting on the massive line back in August, but no gamer thinks that far ahead, we improvise. It's more fun. As if Blizzard needs more money, they do actually have some cool collectibles out that will make a Blizzfan happy. The Panderan Brewmaster is fun and will sit proudly on some WoW player's shelf in his mom's basement. But let's face it, that is WoW light, kind of like Coors Light, it makes you look all hip and calorie conscious, but gallons of it won't get you drunk. So where do we go for the deeper, darker, bad ass WoW fan? Well SwagDog.com has some cool concepts. Customizing shirts for Guilds, players, and just about everything Warcraft is something much better to give a player.

Listen, the gamer t-shirts have been overdone. They have. Trust me, ever since Jesus Saves, they have jumped the shark. So what about non-game stuff that every gamer wants? Can we look at some cool tech items that may help us get through our drudge lives? There are now two schools of thought in the hand held market, iPhone and Droid. Now I am not going to even begin this debate with the way our forums can be. However, all I want to say is that both gifts offer a gamer some very cool updated technology with Apps. Ok if you really do live in a cave, Apps can come in the form of games! So now you have a phone, with media, and games, the perfect gift for a gamer on the go.

Everyone always talks about getting games for the gamer this season. The problem is we already have the games we want to play the day they come out. It's hopeless. My old D&D buddy explained that he has to wait two weeks for Assassin's Creed 2 because someone was so excited to get him a game for Christmas. Therefore, he must wait, and stew. As gamers we don't like stewing about, especially when it is time for the next awesome game. However, there is some hope here. Mass Effect 2 comes out in January, perhaps a pre-order is in order and can be set up so that the day the long awaited Mass Effect sequel comes out, your gamer will be ready to cash in that holiday gift.

Here's something else fun: buy your MMO gamer gold or credits online for the holidays! Oh wait, but that would support gold farmers and they suck. Consider though a pre-paid credit card. Credit cards are always useful to an MMO gamer. Along those lines though, there are a ton of game cards in all the major stores right now: Nexon, Free Realms, Wizard 101, they are endless. I know some of these games are geared toward kids, but heck, time to feed the next generation of MMO players. Give them the Kool-Aid and make them drink deep. So if you really don't want to bother to take the time to shop, cards and cash always go a long way, especially when we gamers will likely spend it online somewhere, somehow.
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Okay, so far we have made our list: wishes, clothes, phones, collector's editions, and cold hard cash. All of these things will go a long way with a gamer. The key is to find something that would surprise a gamer. Keep in mind, nothing surprises us, we play games, we are prepared for anything! So what do you get the gamer who has everything? Well here are a few bonus ideas.

If you have the money to spend and you are shopping for an older crowd of gamers who actually remember playing in an arcade. Why not search eBay for a good conditioned real arcade game? I am talking about the classics here like Galaga, TRON, Tempest, Joust, Centipede, Frogger, etc. The list goes on and on. They are out there, though very expensive. This is something classic and cool that these days really is one of a kind. Search around and see what you can find. Who knows maybe your spouse will be in some Donkey Kong documentary!

Well we have covered the standards and the extremes. Now it is time to get just flat out weird. This is the peak of the trip where reality and psychedelics mesh into a world we're not quite sure of. Bobble heads are awesome. Whuldn't want a Star Wars Bobble head on their desk? Yoda or Obi-Wan go a long way in proving you are strong with the force. It's a Bobble head for goodness sake, everyone likes them.

Even deeper in the basement of gamers are the Age of Conan LARP swords. That's right, if your gamer truly takes it to the extreme and does live action role play, why not pick up a weapon that they can use from their favorite Hyborian King? There are several LARP weapons from the Age of Conan selection and I have to admit they are actually kind of cool. Although I would have to see one in person to really make the call. This is definitely something different though, and could prove to be great fun when your gamer starts beating on everything in the house with it.

Back to WoW for just a second, even more extreme is the WoW Stein. That is right, huge German Beer glasses with Warcraft images on them. At $89.99 these cups ain't cheap, but I have to admit they are cool. Nothing beats showing up at some fancy wedding with your Horde WoW Stein ready to drink and be merry. Yes, that is the idea, take your WoW Stein to a very fancy party, sit and enjoy. If people laugh at you with it, smash them in the face like a drunken dwarf in a bar fight with some elves. When everyone stares at you, say "That's how we role in Azeroth!" Hah, it this point logic and reason have left us behind, but isn't that what the holidays are all about?

In the end, please enjoy your holiday week. Spend time with family and friends and remind them how awesome gamers are. Remind them that while they are happy with their clothes from Eddie Bauer, you just got a game that will take you into a great world, with your friends, and give you hours of whoop ass in PvP. Perhaps the other side will start to see things our way and in time we'll have more Noobs to pound on in Battlegrounds. Happy Holidays everyone!
Source: Editorial - MMORPG.com - Holiday Shopping Guide - MMORPG.com