“... Or how I blew your college fund on sparkly trinkets.”

Thanksgiving is now over, and so the spirit of crass materialism rides in on a chilly breeze. The holidays are almost here, meaning that you’re likely going to need to drop some hard earned ducats on the people who make it a point to hound you year-round. That being said, if you’re not a hopeless misanthrope like myself, you might already be thinking about what to buy for others. Or for yourself. I’m not going to make any judgment calls, you selfish bastard. I don’t have time for jolliness. I’m like Dorian Gray, all ash and suffering on the inside.

So here’s a list of some fun things your can buy for the gamer in your life this year. Some of it is older, some of it is more obscure, but nothing is obnoxiously expensive, per se. Have fun, you wacky kids.

Hit the jump for the list. If you have any suggestions of your own, please leave them in the comments. Oh, and if you want more, non-game-related gift ideas, check out our full Holiday Gift Guide!

Siberia V2 Headset

My father always told me that a real man needs only a few things: A nice watch, a good set of cutlery, and a a respectable haircut, you filthy hippie, you’re no son of mine. Well, if I wasn’t so busy crying at the time, I would have added ‘a quality headset’ to that list. The Siberia V2 headset from SteelSeries is a very acceptable contender for that title. The headset itself is very, very comfortable - I’ve been able to wear it for hours without my ears hurting, thanks in part to the plush feax-leather lining. The quality is superb, with deep bass and effective surround sound, but for me, the it’s the little things that count - such as the retractable microphone hidden in the earcups themselves. Best of all, you can have this luxury for just slightly under a benjamin on Amazon.

The Beatles: Rock Band and Rock Band Gretsch + Rock Pedal

This is good bet for music junkies, and Beatles fans in particular. A far cry from the other tribute games floating around on the market, The Beatles: Rock Band is a carefully-crafted effort of love by Harmonix for the people who exude Beatlemania with every waking breath. Besides the gameplay itself beign fantastic, you get a heaping dose of nostalgia, notes, photos, and of course, the dreamscape levels the game is now infamous for. Hell, you can even unlock the Beatles’ Christmas album. It’s probably the next best thing to the remastered collection that you could pick up for fans of the fab four. Yay, alliteration! You can get it for around $130 at most stores with peripherals, but you might want to drop $250 on the special edition, which comes with a classy Beatles drumkit and Hofner bass replica.

What might push it over the edge? Well, try the Rock Band Gretsch guitar, sworn by peripheral junkies like myself as the classiest piece of plastic you can play without selling a kidney, or the Rock Pedal, a third party kick pedal for the Rock Band drum kit that promises just about the closest thing to using a real drum kit. Plus, both of these work with Guitar Hero, so you don’t have to discriminate too heavily.

DJ Hero - Renegade Edition

So maybe you’re one of the seemingly few people who bought this game when it launched. Yes, Activision has a track record for milking various franchises, but don’t think of DJ Hero as just another entry in a wheezing IP. The game is genuinely fun, the soundtrack is stellar, and it even lets you set it to autoplay if you just want to enjoy the tunes. And aside from being a wholly different experience to the Guitar Hero games - I’ve yet to meet someone who didn’t like it - the Renegade edition comes with a DJ stand (and yes, it makes THAT MUCH of a difference) and a spiffy gold-trim turntable controller, along with an Eminem and Jay Z CD double-pack. It can be had for about $200, or $120 for the regular game.

Borderlands

Cliffy B calls this “the Diablo for a new generation,” and he ain’t lying. After sinking many, many hours into the world of Pandora, I can say that Borderlands is a fantastic addition to any gamer’s library, and will last a very long time thanks to the progression mechanics and co-op system in place. Wii owners are out of luck, but all other consoles and the PC can have it for $60 flat.

Gears of War Lancer

Vroom vroom! Vroooooom RRRRRRAAAAAGH *squish* *squish* YAAAAAAAAH vroooooom brumumumumumum VRAAAAAAAH *splat* *gak* BOOMER!! vroooooom

Anyways, you can get this from Amazon for about three hundred bucks. Pricey, yes, but an amazing thing to have on the mantle for any fan of Gears. Battery powered, moving handles, sturdy, and makes fun noises.

PS3 slim

All the goodness of a PS3 without any of the George Foreman Grill form factor! I couldn’t make the case to get the system when it first came out, but now that it’s established itself with some awesome games - the Ratchet & Clank or Uncharted games come to mind - it’s a worthy buy, particularly with the price drop and new shell. It also makes for an awesome blu-ray and multimedia hub, if you swing that way. I don’t, but I’m very secure in my masculinity. Grab one now for $299.

A custom snuggie

Come on. Come on! Snuggies are awesome. You may ridicule them now, since they are essentially robes turned backwards, but you can’t resist the ridiculous allure of the snuggie forever. Now you can feel all warm and fuzzy while holding a controller, or mouse, or Mountain Dew, or bacon. Plus,  you can get custom snuggies to let people know just how awesome of a lazy bastard that special someone really is.

You can order a set of custom snuggies here. Go wild!

Novint Falcon and Left for Dead 2

I’ve torn up controllers and used every third party piece of crap on the market, but even though this looks like some messed-up Johnny Quest prop, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Novint Falcon is the best way to play an FPS on your computer. The level of immersion it offers is unreal, right down to replicating textures. Ever wanted to play Half Life and feel the weight of anything you pick up with the gravity gun? Ever wanted to legitimately feel recoil? The Falcon is your answer. Now, that can also make the games harder, but it’s a hell of lot more fun than a standard mouse setup. And with Left 4 Dead 2 right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to pick one up. You’ll actually feel like you’re being swarmed by bloodthirsty zombies! You can get one at Amazon.

Modern Warfare 2

What, are you kidding me? They’ve probably bought this by now. I mean, if not, then go for it, but Christ, get with the times. Something is wrong with you. Get it NOW.