Since the invention of internal in-game clocks, developers have been hiding fun little Easter eggs within their games, introducing festive DLC and releasing Christmas themed games to aid you in your celebrations. So, put down your eggnog and feast upon this list of some of the best in-game Christmas events, both past and present, which are bound to get you in the mood for a bearded stranger breaking into your home and leaving random gifts under your tree.
Easter Eggs
Animal Crossing
The Animal Crossing franchise is arguably one of the best at getting gamers in the Christmas spirit. Every single holiday that occurs within Animal Crossing is taken extremely seriously and dedicated players are required to touch base and visit their hometown annually in order to take part in the festivities and holiday based merchandise available to players. What's more, if you thought you could be sneaky and alter the in-game clock in an attempt to avoid all the holiday hullabaloo, Nintendo have employed the beloved Mr. Resetti to both punish and shout at you for trying to 'cheat' at the game. Pretty serious stuff (but hilarious all the same).
World of Warcraft
Whilst Blizzard's World of Warcraft is the game we're going to focus on, there's little doubt that MMOs, in general, are the genre best suited to celebrating real-life events due to the fact that the servers are run on a shared clock. Feast of the Winter Veil is a time during Christmas in which players have access to special holiday gifts and can even throw snowballs at strangers if they feel like starting an all-out war. There are also various festive themed quests to participate in, including rescuing a stolen reindeer, and, as Christmas Day approaches, users can find various gifts, recipes, and treats beneath tall decorated Christmas trees in Ironforge and Orgrimmar.
DLC and Christmas Themed Games
Holly Jolly Penguins
Set in the North Pole, Holly Jolly Penguins is a slots game that features a pleasant Christmassy soundtrack that players can bob their heads along to whilst picking a penguin of their choice, all of whom have their own special abilities, including snowball throwing and carol singing. Its host website, Hippodrome, is a good example of a casino brand that rolls out plenty of themed games at Christmas to get players in the festive spirit, adding Deck The Halls and Secret Santa, but Holly Jolly Penguins is by far the most festive and cheerful game on the list.
Saints Row IV: How The Saints Saved Christmas
As of September 2013, Deep Silver's Saints Row had sold over 13 million units worldwide, making it one of the best selling gaming franchises of all time. Make no mistake about it, the fourth installment in the franchise is ridiculously camp and over the top, and the addition of Christmas-based downloadable content only further enhances the weirdness. Nevertheless, Volition's Saints Row IV has some of the most well-executed festive-related DLC on the market and parodies a number of popular movies, including an incredibly cheesy but memorable version of MGM's 1983 classic A Christmas Story.
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A Time For Receiving Amazing Content
We're always taught at Christmas that it feels better to give presents as opposed to receiving them. Whether you find that to be the case or not, developers are continuing to offer you plenty of Christmas-related gaming content and so you're almost duty bound to accept it in order to make them feel good about their giving. Right? Right! Whilst other holidays are celebrated with the release of exclusive content, Christmas is by far the best period when it comes to exploring the nuances that developers continue to spoil us with.
Let's face it - nobody likes a gaming Grinch so you'd be best advised to get involved with the fun before it all disappears for another year.
