A couple years ago, I invited a good friend of mine to spend Christmas with us. My idea was that we would enjoy a few good meals and a couple of days together. I didn’t think much about anything else than the food, until I realized he was planning to bring presents for my kid, my wife and myself.

I felt stupid that I had no present planned for him, and Christmas was pretty much half a day away.

Thankfully, I ended up finding something he really enjoyed: I basically bought him a key for the humble Bundle, wrote it down on a nice card that I put in some wrapping paper. I made sure to pay an amount that I felt was fair (the Humble bundle lets you pay whatever you want), and I over weighted it on the “charity” level, because why not do it for Christmas.

I spent some significant amount preparing the card, and personalizing the gift was what mattered to me. The humble bundle that year also happened to really have great games so that was nice.

Digital codes are the best way to get something for your gamer friends at the last minute. It could be getting them the latest humble Bundle as I did for my friend, but other alternatives exist. For Playstation gamers, a PS+ subscription  or a PSN Code are a sure bet. Conversely, XBox friends will get an XBox Live code.

The good point about digital codes like these is that you can choose from a spread of prices that match your budget. $10 PSN codes can also be interesting stock-stuffing gifts if you’re having a bunch of friends over. It could be a nice idea to get people random codes (PSN, XBox, …) and have them do “code exchanges” throughout the evening if they don’t like the one they got. An other game could be that your guests need to guess what the code is for. Then you’ll see how nerdy they really are, if they instantly know where to use the code based on its format 🙂

Other gift cards can be used too. Gamestop have some, or you can go with Specific game codes such as League of Legends Riot points.

If you know what game your friends might want for Christmas (although that’s a dangerous bet in my opinion), you can try and get them a digital code for that game. Amazon are also well aware that digital purchases are the best thing for last minute presents (check Pillars of Eternity )

The humble bundle is a great option because you can pay what you want and the money goes to charity. It’s a great gift for the Christmas season. But if your friends are console gamers, then PSN Codes or XBox Live codes are the way to go.

If your friends already have everything they can possibly imagine in terms of gaming, giving them an Amazon Prime Video subscription or a Netflix subscription could be a new way for them to enjoy their console.

A year of Amazon Prime might be a good present if your friends enjoy TV Shows and movies

The key is to write down the code on a nice looking card. Gift codes are just money in disguise, but if you make it a personalized gift, by writing down the numbers on some nice looking card, or by wrapping it in some special container (hey, it could be a sock!), then it turns it into a really great present.

Last but not least, if you’re OK to wait until after Christmas to ship for a physical item, and you know your friend is a gamer but don’t want to risk getting them something they already have, the AVGN X Collection BluRay could be a good bet. I know I’d want it 🙂

Summary

Here are the few options we suggested above for last minute gifts to a gamer:

• a Humble Bundle key
• a PS+ subscription
• a PSN Code or an XBox Live code. ($10 PSN codes are great sock stuffers if you have a party)
• A Gamestop code or a gift card for their favorite gaming shop
• Points/credits for their favorite game, such as League of Legends Riot points
• A Digital Video Game – Pillars of Eternity looks awesome
• an Amazon Prime subscription or a Netflix subscription for movie lovers
• the AVGN X Collection BluRay (*not* digital, will arrive after Christmas)

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