It’s only one week until Mother’s day and here at Engaged Family Gaming, we’ve decided to help you out in finding the perfect gift for the gamer mom in your life!

 

Game stuff:

The most obvious thing is to get her the game she’s been hinting after, something maybe that she’s more interested in than you are.  But, if your family is like my family, it’s more than likely that you share in most game desires, so consider some just-for-her add-ons to make her game a little more customized!

–>Lords of Waterdeep fan?  Check out these cool die cut adventurers to replace the simple blocks!

→ Into classic gaming aesthetics? How about a custom chess board?

→ Tired of the boring pawns for Forbidden Island? What about some detailed clay figs?

→ I think I might be asking for these new catan resources – cutest sheep ever!

Dixit bunny meeples!

→ OK, OK last meeple post, but these guys have EVERYTHING!

→ Stuck playing Memory on repeat? How about a copy customized to your family?

→ What about cool new dice for Arkham Horror or a fancy new set for her tabletopping needs?

→ Not into board games? What about a custom controller?

→ Or a top of the line gaming headset, so she can have a little break time without the family noise.

I could go on for hours, but those of some of the best gift ideas that are directly related to games. Here are some other ideas if just getting gaming accessories doesn’t sound like something she’d love right now.

Jewelry:

Let’s take a twist on a classic gift, jewelry is always the go to for birthdays, anniversaries Valentine’s Day.  What kind of gamer is the mom in your life is she a…

d20 Tabletop gamer?

Euro game Queen?

→ CCG/Tabletop Diva?

→ The Last of Us Groupie?

Final Fantasy Femme?

A Siren of the SNES?

Undefinably geeky?

WoW head? (Ok, OK, they have Alliance too, but I figured you could find that on your own).

Princess of Kingdom Hearts?

Special Snowflake who’d love to wear her avatar?

 

Game + hobby = gold

Gaming is a hobby, but it’s rarely a gamers ONLY hobby.  Help merge your Gamer mom’s interests into one:

→ Knitters and crocheters are always in need of stitch counters, knitting needles and patterns!

→ If she’s into soap making, candy making or anything else that needs molds – check these out!

→ Gamer/Runner? Pwnitwear has some cool running style gear for gamers!

→ Cycling & Gaming? It might not have the thrill of the outdoors, but a FitDesk is pretty great for laptop gamers (you might want to add a mouse rest though).

→ If she’s a bibliophile, maybe a book on projects to do with the kids, or some game inspired fiction?

Home Decor:

Decor for the home and car seems to be a very popular Mother’s day gift idea.  If your lady is more interested in where to hide her terrain maps than what shade of olive green throw pillow suits your settee, some of these might be for her.

→ Customize her console in a way that she will know it’s hers!

→ Customize her laptop.

→ Hide her terrain maps from guests, store ALL THE GAMES, and still manage to have a sweet dining room table! Perfect for visiting in-laws and work parties!

→ Does she hate it when drinks leave those horrible water rings on tables? Maybe some Portal coasters are the perfect gift!

→ Is she an avid tabletopper with a favorite character?  Maybe a LARPer who’d love to be immortalized in character?  What better gift than a custom portrait of her favorite character?
How about an epic, in-character FAMILY portrait? Too much? Maybe a car family sticker with Mommy’s little Pandaren?

→ Maybe a sign for the game room/game shelf is more her thing?

→ A new mousepad?

→ Or some fantastically huge wall art of her favorite game?

Flowers:

You can never go wrong with flowers, right? But would she prefer these flowers, or these or maybe these?

Clothes:

This area can be kind of touchy, so Ieave it to your judgement, but there are some cool options out there for her to showcase her geek, while still remaining mom-appropriate!

T-shirts

Hoodies

Scarves

Socks?

→ Is she expecting?

→ Honestly, pretty much anything here.

 

For the subtle geek:

This section is for the awesome nod to gaming that only she, and possibly very few super fans will recognize.  These are the kind of items that are perfect for corporate jobs or other non-game friendly places.

→ Here’s a great necklace inspired by Zelda.

Final Fantasy more her thing?

A Diablo III Lanyard for her employee ID?

Call of Duty Sunglasses?

Fallout chainmaille necklace?

Pokeheart Necklace?

Kingdom Hearts Argyle Purse?

Beauty products:

Another traditional gift is the basket of soaps and perfumes and bath products galore, so if you want to go this route, why not mix it up a bit!

League of Legends nail polish! Because what lady doesn’t want to feel the thrill of battle at the tip of her fingers, she can even top it off with some Triforce Decals!

→ Now who wouldn’t want to clean themselves with a sudsy, scented meeple?

→ Know your Gamer Mom is a Neutral Good Elf?  Now she can smell like one too (Note: BPA’s scents do wonders to cover up the smell of random food you didn’t know was encrusted somewhere on your clothing.)

→ And she can store it all in her space invaders makeup bag!

 

Kitchenware:

Of course, every site will tell you that all mom wants is 15” cast iron pans and a Cherry Red Kitchen Aid mixer.  I’m not going to put down on that idea, because, I know that I would love a Kitchen Aid Mixer, but if your Mother’s Day purse is a bit light, here are some other ideas that might appeal to your gamer lady.

Coffee & Life Hearts, go together like Coffee and Moms.

→ Maybe a bottle of wine, and some Super Mario Wine Charms might be more up her alley!

→ I can’t imagine anyone that wouldn’t want a POWER GLOVE Oven Mitt!

→ Chop onions in style with a Legend of Zelda cutting board!

→ Does she split her time between piloting X-wings in Star Wars: The Old Republic & baking muffins? Then, perhaps this R2 unit can help with both!

Food gifts:

If you’ve gotten this far & you are still lost, a food gift might be your only hope!

→ So, pamper her with a new dice set, made of chocolate or a D20 Lollipop.

→ Or if video games are more her thing, try a chocolate controller that looks a bit like something the Easter bunny may have forgotten!

→ How about a wine board game? Just be sure to bring her wine to go with it!

→ More of a tea drinker?  How about Mass Effect or Team Fortress 2 teas? Or even Pokemon or Magic the Gathering teas! Maybe a board game cup cozy?

This list is far from comprehensive and we really don’t expect you to buy anything off of it.  Basically, it’s meant to be some ideas for you to use when getting a gift for the Gamer Mom in your life that says “I appreciate you for who you are, Happy Mother’s Day”.  Best of luck finding the perfect gift, there’s an achievement for that!

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By Kelly Allard

Associate Editor

I think one of the hardest things to write about is yourself! Either you sound absolutely insane or completely uninteresting… so, I’ll try to hit the middle ground.

I am a 30-something mom to very vibrant and very intelligent 4-year old daughter who is one of the biggest geeks I’ve ever known. She does come by it honestly, considering her father and I are both just a *little* geeky! Our little family hides in the middle of a city in upstate NY.

By day, I am embedded deep in the culture of corporate America building spreadsheets while I play the eternal game of trying to beat my last latest-and-greatest idea. By night, I’m the intrepid superhero “Gamer Mom” - you know, the one with as many faces as she has ways to beat you in Settlers of Catan?

My educational background is in Math and I love all things science-y, so I try to integrate those loves with my love of gaming! Mostly, I gravitate towards board games these days, as I have been an avid board gamer for as far as I can remember. That said, I also like to tabletop, LARP and have only recently come back to the obsessive hobby that is video games.

Gaming is something that I see as more than just a hobby, it’s a part of life that we only sometimes get to formalize in fun. We play games every day to be more productive, to get that promotion, to convince our kids to clean off the table. We thrive on achievement, on competition, and on cooperation. Whether you’re earning the “Explorer badge” in WoW, or the Longest Rail in Ticket to Ride, or your newest gold star on the Potty Chart, it’s all the same. Games are more than something we do to escape life, they are something we need to understand and master to be successful at life.

So that’s me. Hopefully I can help inspire you to find the fun in everyday life as well.

15 thoughts on “Great Gift Ideas for Gaming Moms”
  1. These are fantastic gift ideas all year round! I do have a friend – new parents – who for so long enjoyed mine craft so a custom controller will be perfect for her. Wow never thought of it until I read your post.

    Thank you for sharing!

  2. 🙂 GREAT IDEAS! Thanks. I would love to have a zelda chopping board. Ultimate kitchen add on. I hope my kids see this lol

    1. I thought that was a pretty cool idea – I love Etsy! So many creative people with awesome ideas!

    1. It’s all about finding the thing that fits your interests! Flowers are nice, but 8-bit flowers are 2-fold for a mom who loves to game!

    2. It’s all about finding the thing that fits your interests! Flowers are nice, but 8-bit flowers are nicer for a mom who loves to game!

    1. Well if you ever have questions, let me know! Gaming can be an awesome family building activity!

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