There was a time where opening up a video game console or game during the holidays was a huge deal. You’ve probably all seen that video of the the Nintendo 64 kid. But with the lack of supply (and scalpers) for new consoles and the shift to digital downloads, the excitement around opening up a gift card or digital currency card pales in comparison to those holidays of yesteryear.

Technology made gaming way more convenient but the lack of something physical, especially as a gift, is a bummer. Does anyone really love giving or receiving a gift card? Plus, you have to either pre-download a game and hope your kid doesn’t realize it or they have to wait to download an update before diving in. Heaven forbid you buy them the new Call of Duty and they have to download 130+GB before playing 💀 .

With the holiday season here - we’ll give you a few ideas for the gamer in your life.

SHOCKER: KIDS WANT VIDEO GAMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Our friends over at the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) released a holiday guide for parents along with some polling data of kids 10-17 in the US.

Video Games top kids wish lists with 76% asking for video games or video game related items - with a skew more towards boys than girls.

If you are an adult buying video games this holiday, prepare to spend. Adults said they planned to spend on average $312 this holiday season. This may sound high, but considering a new video game console retails for $299 up to $699, maybe $312 isn’t so bad 🤑 .

One of the most surprising things about the data to me is that Games themselves are the 2nd least wanted thing, just ahead of in-game currencies. I’m also surprised that Gaming Gear isn’t higher with the plethora of accessories made for gamers.

• Roblox continues to clean up its mess. When reports around child predators and lack of moderation continue to pop up, changes have to happen. Their latest update now does two things:

  1. Users under the age of 13 will not be able to play, search, and discover unrated experiences. This means your child is less likely to stumble onto something unsafe.

  2. Access to Social Hangouts and Free-form User Creation experiences are only for users 13+ - meaning experiences that are virtual chatrooms or have user creation like in-game whiteboards are now also restricted.

  • My take - this is good news for parents as it definitely makes the platform safer but also feels like changes they could have made a long time ago.

• The Director of USC’s Games school shares some links and tips for younger gamers looking to get into the industry.

• If you’re like me and enjoy listening to a video game soundtrack or two, Nintendo just launched the Nintendo Music app to let you listen to a bunch of classic music from your favorite games. It is still missing a lot, but I love that you can extend songs to be up to 60 minutes in length for those heads down, work sessions. It’s free if you have Nintendo Online.

• If you are worried about screen time but want your child to try new games, this screen free gaming platform called Play Cubes seems interesting.

A SMATTERING OF HOLIDAY FAVORITES

By no means is this a full gift guide (we’ll share more throughout the season & for Black Friday/Cyber Monday) but here’s a few initial ideas for the gamer(s) in your life.

Sus: (Adjective) - Used to call out something or someone that is suspicious, questionable, or even weird/different. Really blew up from the game Among Us.

We’ll be coming to you in two weeks for a pre-Black Friday and Cyber Monday email so if there are any gaming related we’ll make sure you are teed up.

GL HF,

Chris