With Valentine’s Day upon us it’s a good time to think about how to show your love for any special gamer in your life. Games and play are a great way to ratchet up the romance in any relationship, and your gamer valentine will be grateful that you are so thoughtful in the process.
To get started, consider this bit of inspiration: a gamer-themed Valentine’s Day surprise created by a clever guy for his gamer girlfriend:
Once you’ve figured out your approach, check out the following tips for getting together everything you need:
Hallmark hasn’t yet figured out how to offer cards for the gamer demographic, so you might be better off making one of your own. All you need is card stock or scrapbook paper, markers or pencils, or an inkjet printer. If you have a Cricut or Sizzix (die-cut) machine, you have even more options.
Here is a beginners’ tutorial that will show you the basics. You can basically take any sort of template or card design and modify by using video game imagery:
You can find all sorts of pre-made card items on Etsy, like downloadable images, templates, stamps, papers and pre-cut bits of paper and fabric. For ideas, check out this round-up of 85 Valentine’s Day cards for gamers.
Some ideas:
Custom mouse padsGamer t-shirtsSweatshirts and hoodiesJewelryAccessoriesMugsGamer DIY and Real-life Crafting. It has lots of ideas for things you can easily make yourself. Cross-stitch is one such item, and you can find game-related patterns on Etsy, as well. Pot holders and valentine origami are other quick and easy projects.Need more options? Try this list of 100 geeky Valentine’s gifts, or check out this video from TrendHunter:
This one is so fun, and lets you customize your offering to your heart’s content. Start with a basket or box (dollar stores are great for this sort of thing), line with tissue paper or some other stuffing, and fill with a combination of items. Some ideas for the contents:
There is even an ‘I love your more than video games’ basket you can order.
Marshmallows on a string can be decorated with food safe markers according to any game theme.
Here’s a tutorial for making Valentine’s Day gamer cookies:
If you need even more ideas, try this list of 34 DIY Valentine’s Day treats.
We’ve already covered gamer decorating in a previous post, and Valentine’s Day could be a great time to show your sweetie some love with a gaming makeover using decals, art, lamps or knick-knacks. Or you can stick to more temporary decorations like hearts and signs inspired by your or your valentine’s favorite games. Your local dollar, craft or party store will have plenty of items you can use to get started. Or like the video above, go all out with a game-related treasure hunt.
If you’re a woman there are a ton of gorgeous gamer dresses and shoes that will show right away exactly where your heart lies. Cosplay is also a good option – you can dress up as a favorite character or his or her favorite hero/heroine.
For the guys there are lots of options, as well, and if you want to keep it stylin’ the addition of gamer cufflinks shows how subtle you can be.
You should make dinner, of course, or order in your gamer’s favorite meal. A video game sound track makes an excellent romantic setting. (With a waterproof bluetooth speaker, you can continue to play the tunes in the show or bath).
After dinner, a romantic game might be just the thing. It could be a favorite of his or hers already, or you can try some new games together. Or, if board and table games are your thing, try out these options.
Another option is to chill on the sofa with a video game inspired movie like Wreck-It Ralph.
More romantic games to try:
What are your plans for surprising your gamer valentine? Please share!
Dr. Lisa Galarneau is a socio-cultural anthropologist, futurist and games researcher. She's been playing video games since 1981 (Pong!) and loves adventure-style games, RPGs, online games, simulations and anything novel. Her love for games has been passed onto her gamer kid, and she spends a lot of time observing and pondering the future of games.
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