Introduction

Often times kids will know exactly what they are looking for, and I do mean EXACTLY, but if you are looking for something that hasn't been requested word of mouth, often daily, from a youngster then this guide should prove very helpful as you search out the newest and hottest titles. There is quite a bit of information here, so feel free to jump around to the parts you have questions about.

What type of experience do you want to give? Meta Game - BIG, lots of rules, huge community and time involved

What age group are you giving the gift for?

What games are recommended for my age range and game category?

Who carries these games?

What if I can't decide?

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Q: What type of experience do you want to give?

If you don't know exactly what titles a young gamer is looking for, then the next best thing is to take a look at the type of experience that that he/she enjoys, or the type of experience you would like to give.

There are several types of overall experience that a game can give. They vary with the times and places that the game is played as well as the number of people that are usually involved. Here is a quick list.

Meta Game - BIG, lots of rules, huge community and time involved

Party Game - FUN, extra players, easy rules

Family Game - CLEAN, medium grade difficulty, large appeal

Gamer Game - DETAILS, wild themes, quality gameplay, not mainstream

Shock Game - SHOCKING, theme based, cheap

Strategy Game - BRAINS, fewer players, classic games

Religious/Educational Game - THEME based, intention of giver appeal

Meta Game

The most comprehensive experience that games provide has been given the name Meta Game. The Meta Game category includes games with large amounts of social interaction as well as special events and other activities that happen outside of actually playing the game. With these games there is often an element of collecting and preparing pieces or rules before you sit down to play. Games of this type also often have tournaments or special social events that gamers can go to. These tournaments are often held in local specialty game shops or via local clubs.

There are three major types of games that give a great Meta Game experience; Role Playing Games, Collectible Card Games, and Miniature Games. All three of these have a rich variety of options to choose from when selecting a theme. There are, however some things to keep in mind when giving any of these games as a gift.

These games are detail oriented and often take a lot of time to learn.

These games are often sold with many supplements and collector options, making multiple item purchases over time almost a given. While starter kits and basic rule manuals are all that is needed to enjoy the game, boosters and supplements are very common.

These games usually require other people to have purchased their own sets of rules and pieces in order to play a game. For this reason paying attention to what is hot in this category is rather important.

Benefits of Meta Game games.

Offering a complete game experience, these games give hours and hours of entertainment as players prepare for games and when they get together with friends to play.

Thinking is a must. These games are targeted towards brainy teens and college students. If you want your gift to challenge and engage the brain, then this category is top notch.

After someone is done playing for good, the collections and sets a player has created can often be sold to recup some of the costs that went into creating the collection.

Party Game

Party games are just that. They are games great for larger groups of people. They require little time to learn, have lots of group interaction and are generally loud and boisterous affairs. These games are great for highly social people and they liven up any get together. They often lack complexity and have a larger luck factor in general.

Family Game

These games are typically board and card games that have a moderate amount of detail and involve great strategies or themes for all ages. What is notable about this category is the 'lack of' factor. The lack of violence, sarcasm, offensive themes and sexuality are what make these game experiences different from the following categories. Family games are fun for all ages, provide small group interaction, typically 2-5 players, and provide experiences that are based upon the fun of the game and the enjoyment of the people playing.

Gamer Game

These games are similar to family games in that they are often board, card or combination games that are specifically themed to be played by a group of gamers. (High school or college age smarties, alternatives and low-key individuals.) This means that the theme is often one of fantasy, war, a specialty hobby, or sport.. These games have a moderate to large amount of strategy and rule detail, fitting for the people who like to play them.

Gamer games are not for everyone, but they are great to pull out every few months or so when friends come over to visit. They are also very good choices for people who are interested in the theme of the game, but are not hard core enthusiasts willing to devote hours and hours to a single game, like Meta Game players are.

Shock Game, or Gag Game.

These games' sole purpose is to be played for the shocking theme and scenario that it revolves around. Most of these games make it to market based upon this alone and are really not very fun to play more than once or twice. This is a specialty experience that offers a great deal of enjoyment for people until the shock value wears off.

Most of these games are indeed offensive, as this is where the shock value comes from. We include this category as a game experience because while most people that are looking for games are looking for great game play or a clean family/friend entertainment option, this category helps to label those games that are put out for other reasons. Most people will want to avoid the games from this category, but those that are looking for something a little more risky should look no further.

The good news about this category is that the games are typically priced under $20.00. Since replay value is often very low, the cost of picking up the games on the spur of the moment to give as a gag reflects this.

Strategy Game

Strategy games are typically two player affairs where a contest of brainpower results in a victor. Chess, Go, Stratego, Connect Four, and Checkers are probably the most notable and easily recognizable games in this category. Strategy games are great for all ages and can easily cross reference with family games except for the two distinctions of there being a small number of players and the deep thinking that is required.

Strategy games are great brain builders and provide great training in focus, logic, mathamatics (at some level) and the like. They also provide something that brainiacs seldom get. True intellectual challenge. For this reason strategy games have long held a place of high esteem in all cultures and traditions.

While Chess and Checkers have long been around and are widely available, the game market has several top notch strategy games that are less well known, but no less fun and challenging to play. We recommend these games highly to give someone a new challenge.

Religious/Educational Game

This category is a game given for the purpose of using the theme for real life goals and education. These experiences often take on a more significant meaning between the gift giver and the receiver, as the theme tends to reflect beliefs, either in faith or ideas, and their importance. While not mainstream, nor plentiful, when you find a game that is appropriate in this category, it makes a great gift.

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Q: What age group are you giving the gift for?

Age group takes into account what is generally believed to be appropriate for the person receiving the gift as well as the people that he/she will be playing your gift with. While a Dungeons & Dragons game might be right up your receivers alley, the idea of magic and clerics of different religions may be offensive to your receivers friends or their parents. These things are appropriate to take into consideration in some circumstances.

While there are many great games for the eight and younger crowd, we recognize that our specialty is with games for more mature, Ahem... older, audiences. Age groups we typically deal with are 8-12, 12-15, 15-17, 18+. The rule of thumb is that games move along at the same rate as the movie ratings system does. When in doubt, stick with Gamer games and Family games, as they tend to be less extreme.

Q What games are recommended for my age range and game category?

Now that you have in mind what sort of experience and what age group you are looking for, the hard part comes down to finding the good games that meet your criteria. That is where our expertise comes in to save you some time. The following list of items is sorted out by category and by age group so all you have to do is scroll down to the section you are looking for and find some of the hottest new games and the classic must haves.

Each recommended game title is linked directly to a search in our ebay store. You can find full descriptions of each game there.

All of the games recommended here are done so to notate adult or strongly violent themes not recommended for younger audiences. All games listed in the 12-15 and 15-17 age ranges are also very appropriate for the 18+ gamer. At this point, The Game Smiths do not carry many of these shock games as we find them to be of poor quality and generally not worth the money.

• Age Range: 18+
• Meta
• Party
• Family
• Gamer
• Lunch Money
• Shock
• Pimp - The Backhanding
• You Go To Hell
• Pimps and Ho's
• Strategy
• Religious/Educational
• Age Range: 15-17
• Meta
• Magic the Gathering Trading card game
• GURPS: Role Playing Game
• Warhammer 40K miniatures. (ask what your receiver wants before you buy these. The purpose of the miniatures is to build an army, and if you get random miniatures as a gift they are relatively useless for a player if they are not figures that fit with one of your armies.)
• Party
• Apples To Apples
• Family
• Nautilus
• Gamer
• Runebound
• World Of Warcraft the Board Game
• A Game of Thrones Boardgame
• Shock
• Many Cheapass Games
• Strategy
• Dvonn
• Religious/Educational
• Cash Flow: 202
• Age Range: 12-15
• Meta
• Magic the Gathering Trading card game
• D20 system Role Playing Games and supplements
• Party
• Twister
• Apples To Apples
• Family
• Niagara Carcassonne
• Settlers of Catan
• Gamer
• Knightmare Chess
• Medici
• Shock
• Not Recommended
• Strategy
• Stratego, GIPF series games
• Religious/Educational
• Cash Flow: 101 Settlers of Cannan
• Settlers of Zarahemla
• Age Range: 10-12
• Meta
• Yu-Ghi-Oh Trading card game.
• Party
• Family
• Elfenland
• Gamer
• Knightmare Chess
• Shock
• Not Recommended
• Strategy
• Religious/Educational
• Cash Flow for Kids
• Age Range: 8-10
• Meta
• Yu-Ghi-Oh Trading card game.
• Party
• Apples to Apples: 9+
• Family
• Once Upon a Time
• Mystery of the Abbey
• Gamer
• Shock
• Not Recommended
• Strategy
• Religious/Educational
• Age Range: 5-8
• Meta
• Precoscious individuals might be interested in Yu-Ghi-Oh
• Party
• Family
• Gamer
• Not Recommended
• Shock
• Not Recommended
• Strategy
• Religious/Educational
• Cash Flow for Kids
• Age Range: Under 5
• Meta
• Not Recommended
• Party
• Family
• Gamer
• Not Recommended
• Shock
• Not Recommended

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Q Who carries these games?

For those who live in a town with a hobby or specialty gaming store, odds are good that they will have any of the game titles given in this article. Large cities always will have at least one or two game stores, if you can find them. For people not in the know of where exactly how to get a hold of these games, the best place is simply to get your gift online. With online shopping you can frequently find great deals and often end up paying what you would in the store or less after shipping. The Game Smiths carries most of the games listed in this article in our eBay store as well.

Q: What if I can't decide on a game to give?

If you still can't decide on a game, just send us an email with an age range and possible game category. We will point you to a couple games we think might work.

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