Leveling Up the Holidays A Gaming Tier List

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Intro

It is Christmas time, so you know what that means? A Christmas video! Christmas is the season of giving; everyone is excited for the day when they finally get to open the presents under the tree. After waiting so long, whatever is under the tree must be good. Christmas is always full of anticipation for what the mystery gift you are going to receive is. Every year people either get an incredible gift or something lackluster and that just depends on the family, but I have decided to make the definitive Christmas gift ranking. Since I am a gamer, every one of these gifts is something that people think of when they ask about gamers. Ranging from consoles to games to even merchandise let us see what the best and worst gift for the holiday season is. 

Physical Games

To start with, the first gift most people think of when they think of gamers, an actual physical game. You cannot be a gamer without having games, and if you are a child, there is no better way to get games than Christmas. A physical game is always a cool thing, the ability to put the box somewhere that can be shown off and made into a decoration piece in someone’s room is a nice bonus to the fun you can get from playing it. Depending on the game you can play up to fifty hours without finishing a game, and that is worth the maximum seventy-dollar price most games are. Although getting a game is nice, it will never be the best gift you can get because unless you ask someone, you will never get the game they wanted and instead wish for their game for even longer but still happy to get any new games. If you buy a physical game as a gift, just make sure you buy the right game. Overall, I think getting a physical game is a great gift, it just depends on the game you get and whether the person that gets the gift enjoys it, so I will get it an A tier. 

Gaming Gift Cards

Gaming Merchandise

A gift that most people do not think of at first, but in hindsight is obvious is gaming merchandise. Every gamer has a favorite game, whether they are an avid gamer or just a casual gamer they have a favorite game, and one of the gifts that you could give them is a piece of merchandise from their favorite game. Most games, if they are successful enough, will have something you can buy. There are a variety of various products you can buy for several different games. Plushies, pins, posters, t-shirts, and soundtracks, if you can think of it, some game sells merch out of it. While gaming merchandise may not be what gift comes to mind at first, if the person you are buying a gift for has a game they genuinely love, then gaming merchandise is a great idea. Although you always just want to make sure that the person does love that game, because it will be a terrible gift if they do not. Overall, gaming merchandise is a good gift for the right person and if given correctly it will be a gift they cherish for a long time. I give gaming merchandise a solid A tier ranking. 

LED Lights

One of the strangest gifts I have ever heard of that people give to a gamer, that for some reason makes some sense is LED lights. When you look at a typical gamer setup, they will always have massive LED lights that take up the entire walls and cover them with bright vibrant colors that make someone’s room standout. While buying LED lights may seem simple before you start to think about it, but if you believe that you are completely wrong. There are so many diverse types of LEDs that you can buy with every type having their own advantages and disadvantages. LEDs are such a random gift that does not make sense. There are so many distinct types of LEDs and so many ways that giving someone LEDs will go wrong. The price of LEDs can range from less than a dollar to over a hundred dollars, with so many different options and so many different types and prices, giving someone LEDs is just a terrible idea, the hassle they require and the fact that whoever you are buying it for may not even know how or want to put it up. Although LEDs are a cool thing to have, they are not a cool thing to get. I give LED lights an F tier. 

Gaming Controller

With every gaming console there is one thing that every single gamer will need, a gaming controller. The only way that a console gamer can play games their console is by playing with a controller. Every console comes with at least one controller, so if you are unaware of the differences between the distinct types of controllers, you may not know how much the controller you play on can affect the game. There are several brands of controllers, but one thing is for sure, the brand name is always the most expensive. Brand name controllers are the ones designed by the same company that made the console, and because of that are typically the best ones to get, they can come in different colors patterns or designs, or there may even be a completely custom controller creator like with Xbox, who has a website to make a custom controller down to the colors and types of joysticks. One option that may be the best choice is to buy an upgraded controller, like the Xbox Elite controller, Nintendo Switch Pro controller, or the PlayStation DualSense Edge controller. Every upgraded controller will improve the quality of play and may allow for more customizability to make your playing experience the best possible experience it can be. Whether you are buying a new controller so that the person can play with more people or just have a better experience a gaming controller can be a good gift for a console gamer, so I give it a B tier ranking. 

Money

So far, I have listed many gifts that are exclusive to gamers, but this gift is the most generic gift you can give someone, money. Money is the easiest thing to give someone, giving someone money can allow them to choose the gift they want to get, of every gift you can give, money gives the person who receives it the freedom to buy whatever they want to buy. Just like gift cards, money is the perfect gift for someone who you may not know enough to decide on a gift for, but it is boring and seems like little effort was put into it. Unlike a gift card, money is a super basic gift, although it can be exciting, giving someone, especially a person who cannot drive money makes them have to wait longer to have an actual gift and it makes it a hassle for them when a gift should be something exciting. Giving someone money is too basic and completely ruins the fun of Christmas for whoever you give it to, Christmas gifts are meant to be fun and mysterious and getting money is the same as getting a letter that says “Your gift has not arrived yet, sorry” but without the sorry. Money is a terrible gift and as such gets a terrible rank of F. 

Gaming Subscription

Throughout the past century gaming has changed, what once was done through consoles is now also done through computers, what once was done completely for free, now requires a subscription. Buying someone a gaming subscription is an interesting choice as a Christmas present, unlike most other gifts a subscription is solely a digital gift, most people will not even notice it. Since every console on the market right now requires a subscription to play online games, buying someone who does not already have a subscription for the online service a subscription is a nice gift, although there are better gifts. The thrill of online games is incredibly rewarding, challenging players from all over the world and attempting to beat some of the hardest player created levels in some games is nice, and giving someone an online subscription allows them to understand and be rewarded by that feeling. While it may be an all-right gift if the person you are buying it for does not have it, if they do have it, they will not even notice your gift, especially if they are not the one paying for it. While it can be a fine gift, there are better gifts that you can give to a person instead of a gaming subscription, and for that reason I give gaming subscriptions a D tier. 

Gaming Magazine

There are many things that have slowly started to die and one of them that relates to gaming is gaming magazines. Gaming magazines and magazines in general have been losing popularity and function over the years. What used to be the main way to learn secrets and find walkthroughs for games inside of magazines like Nintendo Power, has now become outdated because of the advancements of modern technology. Magazines are simply different from what they used to be, although they can still be enjoyable. Gaming magazines include special interviews with developers, guides for games, and articles that will interest gamers, all in one place. Gaming magazines can help you decide on games to buy because of the lists and articles about different games. Magazines are great resources to find more ways to enjoy your favorite games, making finding information easier because everything is in one location. Although magazines have lost a lot of the exclusivity because of the internet, they still have many reasons to buy them, even if they have become outdated over time. Magazines may be great, but not the right gift to give someone, even if they have advantages, they are mostly useless to most people, because of that I give them a C tier ranking.

In Game Currency

Free to play games have become popular in recent years and have led to the growth of microtransactions, also known as in-game currency. In-game currency and microtransactions are how you buy things inside of free to play and sometimes paid games. Especially prevalent in mobile games, in-game currencies can be made from playing the game, but more importantly paying for them. Allowing players to unlock cosmetics and items inside of a game gives players reasons to get more of the currency. Games such as Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft have entire economies built off their specific in-game currency. Although many people buy currency to get cosmetics, I find it strange that people give in-game currency as a Christmas present, especially when there are so many problems with microtransactions, which is a topic for another video. While I may not fully understand giving someone in-game currency as a gift, I still see the benefits of getting it, especially to those who are too young to have their own money to spend. I have a strong bias against microtransactions, but some games have them because they are free, which makes sense and if you know someone who loves a game that has microtransactions giving them some of them is a clever idea, or maybe not. Overall, I give giving someone in-game currency as a gift a C tier. 

TV or Monitor

Every single gamer must have a way to see their game, may that be a TV or a monitor. While it may not seem obvious at first, a cheap screen can heavily affect the gaming experience, from high latency to low quality there are many reasons that having a bad screen will make gaming less enjoyable. A TV and monitor are the fundamentals to a perfect setup, so it is always a promising idea to get the best one there is. When it comes to PC gaming, there are many other benefits to receiving a TV or monitor, as someone who does all their gaming on a computer, I understand how much better it is when you have two monitors. I use my second monitor to open YouTube while doing something boring, check messages or look in a discord call while playing a game, or as a streamer I can see my live chat so I can keep up with the people in my chat, even if few people show up. Giving someone a TV or monitor is not the best choice, especially when you consider how expensive a good monitor is, but for someone on a pc with only one monitor it will make their computer so much better. I rank TVs and monitors as a gift B tier. 

Gaming Accessories

One gift that I think is the most confusing to rank is gaming accessories. Gaming accessories are attachments for your console or computer that can help the gaming experience. There are several kinds of accessories you can buy, from simple headphones to microphones, to a full racing simulator setup, there are many different accessories that make ranking this a complicated task. While gaming accessories are still very prevalent, they were most noticeable during the Wii era, with there being many accessories for the Wiimotes, such as the Wii Wheel and the notable Wii guitar for GarageBand. Although they are not as common as they used to be, they can still make the gaming experience for certain games ten times better than without them, especially if you consider headphones and microphone accessories. If the person you are buying for enjoys racing or flight simulator games, they will enjoy getting a steering wheel or flight stick, but if they enjoy standalone virtual reality, they will love getting a battery pack. Gaming accessories really depend on the person and their preferences, some people enjoy games that benefit from accessories, and others do not. I give the gift of gaming accessories a ranking of C tier. 

Gaming Chair

Every year gamers all over the world struggle from a disease called slouchy back syndrome, but there is a gift you can give to help, a gaming chair. Gaming chairs have become infamous in meme culture because of the way they are portrayed, as the fix all solution to back pain while gaming, and If I am being honest, they are not what they seem to be. Gaming chairs are some of the most expensive chairs on the market and for that reason they must be good, but that just is not the case. As proven by several people, gaming chairs are just as good as your typical office chair, most of which are hundreds of dollars cheaper than your typical gaming chair. As someone who plays a lot of games, I can tell you that I do not even use a gaming chair and have no interest in getting one anyway. If you are having issues with your back hurting, then play with better posture, even if you buy a gaming chair, if you have bad posture your back will still hurt. While I understand the appeal of buying a gaming chair there is no reason to give a person one as a gift, let alone a Christmas gift. I give Gaming Chairs an F tier ranking because they are not worth the money. 

Digital Games

Although I know I have already talked about how good of a gift a physical game is, but in the modern world I also need to mention digital games. Digital games are now the only way to play games on a computer and with the addition of diskless consoles, slowly becoming the main way to buy games on console, because of that it is obvious that digital games are a necessity. Although giving a physical game as a gift makes it a more exciting gift, giving a digital game is not as exciting, because it ruins the mystery of getting the gift and unwrapping it on Christmas day, instead it just appears in your inventory on your preferred gaming platform. The good part about digital games is that they do not take up any space and cannot be lost by any young children, making it so they can be kept forever. There are obviously many reasons that buying digital games is a good, even a better idea, but I will always prefer the fun of displaying physical games, for that reason I can only give digital games a B tier ranking, because they are never going to be physical games. 

Gaming Console

I saved the best two for last, first, a gaming console. The best gift a gamer can receive is getting the newest Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo console. While a new console may be expensive, it is worth the price ninety percent of the time. The memories and experiences someone can have from the newest console will always be incredible. If you get someone a new console, if they do not have one from that generation, it will always be a great gift. There are countless games and things to do on a new console that can entertain someone for ages and can make for an incredible gift. Although even if they have a console of that generation there are always new versions of consoles that provide more features and functions, such as the Nintendo Switch OLED and PlayStation Slim models, but those are less worth it because they are more expensive and may not get as much use. There is no competition when it comes to gifts when you consider buying a new console, the only thing that could ever beat them is the next thing I am going to rank. I give gaming consoles a deserved S tier ranking as a gift. 

Gaming PC

The last gift on the list is the only one that can compete with giving someone a gaming console, a gaming computer. Unlike gaming consoles, gaming computers are not limited to just being used for gaming, they can also be used as your standard computer, with access to the internet and a plethora of applications that can be used along with access to an unlimited number of games through digital retailers such as Steam or Epic Games. The number of things you can do with a gaming computer is insane, with almost unlimited freedom, there is no problem with giving someone a gaming computer, other than the cost. Gaming computers are quite expensive and have so many options, but if you do not buy a super cheap one, it will be a great gift that gets a ton of use. Me personally, I bought a gaming computer and use it in my daily life for everything I do online. While a computer may be super expensive, it is the best gift you can give someone and allows them to have almost unlimited options. A gaming computer is the best gift you can give someone, and for that reason I give the gift of a gaming computer the ranking of S tier. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many gifts that are great to give, but there are also many that are bad, and although I gave all of them rankings, it is up to you what you give someone. If you know the person you are buying a gift for wants something, that is the best gift for them. This tier list is not here to say what to buy and what not to, more of a suggestion and something I did for fun. I hope you enjoyed watching this special holiday video, and I will see you in 2024! Merry Christmas and a happy new year.