Gifts for the geeks on your list

Not only are we subjected to horrible local traffic during the winter holiday season, but many of us will be backed up on major highways as well. Some will be stacked in airports and terminals; others may be waiting for a seat at a restaurant. It’s a busy time.

Throw in the responsibility for buying appropriate gifts for friends and loved ones, and the last few weeks of the year can border on the unbearable. Being particularly taxing, the latter task entails several onerous sub-quests, from finding one’s way to and from the proper retail venue to making a correct gift selection quickly while keeping within the budget.

Some people are easy to buy for – some high-thread-count sheets or a new air ionizer for one; a couple of stylish accessories for another – and most of the ordeal can be completed in short order.

Then you get to the geeks on your list.

Spot the geek

You know who they are. Everybody seems to have at least one of them on their gift list this season. The geek may be hiding as a normal member of polite society, but is easy to spot with a bit of detective work. First, check a person’s living area, counting the personal computing devices. Don’t forget to count the laptops, video gaming consoles and personal digital assistants. Three or more constitutes instant and lifetime geekdom.

If someone is driving a $300 car but has a $3,000 computer, you can be sure he or she is a geek. Look around the bookshelves. Large selections of science fiction and fantasy literature can be a tip-off, as can the presence of any die possessing more than six sides. Large stores of collectible card game paraphernalia are a dead giveaway. When someone’s home entertainment and personal computer gear clearly cost more than their car, you’ve got a geek on your hands. Take it from one who knows.

Making a positive identification is the first step toward proper gift selection. While snooping, take a minute to note what video game consoles are on hand and the type and specifications of any computers that appear to be in everyday use. With this information you are nearly guaranteed to make a proper selection.

Before we continue it is important to note that, regardless of their convenience, gift cards may not be the best gift selection. Last year millions of dollars of well-intended gift cards went unredeemed. That makes your effort a present for the company who sells the card, not your intended recipient. Get an early start and see if you can pick out things that the geeks on your list will like.

Consider “The Sims”

If their taste is in line with most contemporary geeks, they are likely to enjoy playing “The Sims.” This colossal video game franchise has spanned platforms and time zones, making its way from a gaggle of late-night players well into mainstream society. Tracing its roots back to 1989 and Will Wright’s landmark “Sim City” game on the oldest Macintosh computers, today “The Sims” is enjoyed on nearly every platform in the gaming community.

This year, take a look at the latest release, “The Sims 2” holiday edition, for the Windows PC gamers on your gift list. This timely bundle includes the Happy Holiday Stuff bonus pack, guaranteeing that no matter how absorbed they get in the game, your friend will enjoy at least a little bit of holiday cheer.

Entry into The Sims realm gives gamers godlike control over their own family of Sims, tiny simulated people who live, love work, and interact in their own little world, much like we do in ours. They have good times and bad based on our decisions and are even tragically mortal, especially when handled poorly. Playing “The Sims 2” can be a lesson in life for gamers with moderately developed skills.

The power to customize makes your world distinctly yours, whether you choose to add a leopard-print area rug or a huge outdoor deck to your Sims’ living area. You can add a note of holiday cheer with snowmen, tinsel, garlands and all the items you don’t have time to deploy on your own home. This gift choice will likely be appreciated by anyone with pronounced gaming interests. If you pick up one for yourself, try to refrain from installing it until after you have completed all your winter holiday preparation.

“Dungeons and Dragons” still a favorite

Not all gamers are video gamers, of course. If you happened to find a 20-sided die cast in brilliant gold plastic with blood-red numbers while rooting, you may have stumbled onto a Dungeons and Dragons devotee. While this may seem decidedly low-tech to appear in The Wire, you would be surprised at how many of my loyal readers are enthusiastic D&D players.

If someone on your gift list seems a likely candidate, consider presenting them with the fabulous Dungeons and Dragons Players Kit from Wizards of the Coast. Affordably priced, this handy package includes everything needed to create and enjoy their very own Dungeons and Dragons characters.

Speaking of characters, this affordably priced package includes a now out-of-print set of Dungeons and Dragons Aberrations Miniature, adorably grotesque pre-painted figures of some of the fantasy world’s true celebrities. Believe me: Your favorite gamer will be thrilled to own a genuine Yuan-ti Abomination.

If you were wondering where those funny dice come from, there’s a full set included in this package, along with the official players handbook in an incredibly handy paperback edition. Young players will be able to enjoy conducting their own solo games before heading out into the “real” world of total fantasy.

Give refurbished electronics a shot

This wouldn’t be The Wire without recommending at least one electronic gift selection. I know as well as anyone that the winter holidays can pose a real strain on the budget. Sometimes the treasury doesn’t quite allow for the acquisition of the most desirable choices during holiday shopping trips. The much-coveted iPod is a perfect example. With new models selling for as much as $349, many holiday shoppers find themselves priced out of the market.

That is precisely when a little creative shopping is in order. I browsed to Google and entered “refurbished iPod” as my search term. In fractions of a second I was presented with a wide selection of much more reasonably priced equipment both from Apple and third-party vendors.

If your favorite person happens to be the only one in their crowd without an iPod, now you have a real chance to do something about it. I found sites, like the one at www.smalldog.com, that were offering late-model refurbished iPods for under $140.

Once you take it out of the package, your brand-new iPod is used, too. I noted a fourth-generation 20GB iPod, the one with the gray click wheel, for $139. It included a one-year warranty from the seller and was ready to be loaded with up to 5,000 songs by someone special over the holidays.

The true beauty of the iPod is that it has further blurred the boundaries between geeks and normals. Today, nearly everyone recognizes the ubiquitous music machine and is likely to either own one already or want one badly. This is your big chance to hit a holiday home run without breaking the bank.

I plan to touch on geek gifts again before the winter holidays arrive, so I am looking forward to hearing what my loyal readers are giving and hoping to receive this season. Drop me a note at Granese (at) juno.com and let me know what items are appearing on both your gift list and wish list this year.