NoPro’s Holiday Gift Guide
For the immersive fans in your life
Holiday shopping is here, and to help you find the perfect gift for the immersonaut in your life — or to fill out your wish list — we’ve put together our first ever little collection of media, books, tech, and all important gift cards that will bring smiles and cheer all around.
Within you’ll find gifts for fans and creators alike, at all kinds of price ranges, picked out by our staff.
Let’s get to it!
(And no, we’re not doing affiliate links. We get nothing if you buy this stuff. In fact, we’d prefer you to shop at your local indie bookseller or video store when possible.)
Films
Whether you’re looking to get inspired or learn something, this lineup of films has something for you.
Between Yourself and Me
Documentary
$9.99 Digital Download/Stream (Amazon)
Perfect for: Immersive theatre aficionados
Dance Film Associations and Third Rail Projects have created a short documentary (28 min.) that takes viewers behind the scenes of two of their immersive shows: Then She Fell and Roadside Attraction. The film includes some dream-like adaptations of scenes from those concepts made especially for this documentary. While it doesn’t cover the breadth and depth of all of TRP’s portfolio, it’s enough to make fans of Kingsland Ward happy until their next visit. — Kathryn Yu
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Documentary
$7.99 Digital Download (Amazon/Apple)
Perfect for: Alternate reality aficionados, storytellers
A modern indie classic that embodies the idea of blurring the line of fact and fiction. How much of the film is the truth and how much an elaborate put-on by international artist Banksy? Does it even matter if any of it is real? What’s reality anyway? — Noah Nelson
F For Fake
Essay Film
$14.99+ Digital Download/BluRay (Criterion Collection/Criterion Channel/Amazon/Apple)
Perfect for: Magic enthusiasts, ARX creators and fans
So this is my other favorite movie. You already know what my favorite one is. Orson Welles’ one of a kind essay film is all about fakers and their forgeries. It’s a twisty, rollercoaster of a tale that manages to… well, that would be telling. Like a great immersive: go in cold. On top of that: this is a rare opportunity to see one of the masters of a craft experiment with an entirely different format, a kind of magic trick that no one else has had the courage to try to pull off. That audacity alone is inspiring. — Noah Nelson
GAMES
Play is at the heart of immersive, so let’s cut to the chase and get our game on.
Mysterious Package Company Experience
Storytelling Package
$50 — $200 (Mysterious Package)
Perfect For: Collectors of stories; true crime fanatics
Nothing says “Happy Holidays” quite like a strange package with no clear sender appearing on your loved one’s doorstep, right? With the Mysterious Package Company’s “adventure by mail” experience, recipients will piece together and uncover a story of adventure and intrigue using beautifully rendered artifacts sent to their door. MPC offers tons of options when it comes to the story at hand, so whether you prefer digging into haunting occult tales or cracking a murder case Law and Order style, you’re sure to find something thrilling! — Leah Ableson
Subtext
Phone Based ARX Stocking Stuffer
$6.99 (Subtext Game)
Perfect For: Cellphone Addicts, ARG Fans
We all know how long the lull between big ARGs can feel. Subtext is basically an on demand ARG. From the first moments of the demo, the walls between the game and reality start to crack apart. At $7, it’s a steal for any immersive fan on a budget. — Blake Weil
Escape Room In A Box: The Werewolf Experiment & Flashback
Party Games
$15.74–20.99 (Flashback / Werewolf both at Amazon)
Perfect for: Escape game fans looking for a night in
These two party games from The Wild Optimists started as a Kickstarter project. You can even check out our podcast interview with Ariel & Juliana back in the “we record the show on a laptop” days. Now you can find them in stores all over the country thanks to Mattel. For less than the price of a single escape room run you can entertain your team at home. Think about getting one to play after Christmas dinner. — Noah Nelson
Accessories
Whether it’s a secret society of the strange thing, or full on nerd-pride, you’ve got options.
HOUSE OF ETERNAL RETURN DRYER PIN
Enamel Pin
$10 (Meow Wolf)
Perfect for: anybody who wishes they could live in the House of Eternal Return
One of my prized possessions is a small, glittery enamel pin that I picked up on my first visit to Meow Wolf this summer. Not is my “Dryer Pin” totally charming, but it takes me back to the House of Eternal Return and the popularity of their infamous dryer slide every time I look at it. Plus, there’s something thrilling about whenever a member of the immersive tribe recognizes “the dryer” in the wild. — Kathryn Yu
STAR WARS Universe ID Card
prop
$15 (KatrinsCuriosities on Etsy)
Perfect For: Star Wars Nerds, Prop Collectors, Galaxy Edge Visitors
If you’re planning a visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and you want to be prepared for a First Order Stormtrooper to ask to see your ID, or just want to throw a bartender for a loop, these amazing looking laser cut, customized AURUBESH ID cards are a must have for your favorite general, scavenger or farm boy from a galaxy far far away. — Anthony Robinson
Escape Room Passport
White Elephant, Collectible, Accessory
$9.99 — $14.99 (We The Enthusiasts)
Perfect For: Escape Room Enthusiasts
Created by fans and creator of escape rooms for fans of escape rooms as a fun,this is just a cool way to track which escape rooms you’ve done. Not only is it fun way to compare with friends where you’ve puzzled, but it also offers discounts at some locations.— Anthony Robinson
Books
And in this section, you learn about exactly what kind of nerds we are.
The Empty Space: a Book About Theatre: Deadly, Holy, Rough, Immediate by Peter Brook
Theatre studies
$7.99 (Amazon)
Perfect For: Immersive creators and performers
A passionate call to action by legendary director Peter Brook, The Empty Space dissects theatre back down to it’s primal and ecstatic roots, encouraging creators to break the rules and forgo the formulaic. Though written primarily for proscenium-based artists, Brook’s groundbreaking approach applies beautifully to the immersive space, and is a must-read for anyone looking to build innovative and challenging work, especially in an untraditional format — Leah Ableson
Ship of Theseus (aka ‘S.’) by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst
Fiction and ephemera filled experience
$22.49 (Amazon)
Perfect For: Story Collectors, Eavesdroppers, Late Night Readers
This 2013 collaboration between sci-fi creator J.J. Abrams and author Doug Dorst is an entertaining attempt to one up the Russian doll story style of House of Leaves in creating a multiple layered story inside the confines of a novel’s margins. Filled with notes, postcards, maps and clippings, and a winding conversation (literally written in the margins) between two college students flesh out this very different story of multiple obsessions. A bargain entry to higher production value experiences like those by The Mysterious Package Company, Ship of Theseus is a great gift to get someone hooked on deep diving.— Anthony Robinson
Finite and Infinite Games By James Carse
Philosophy/Religion
$15 (List price via Indiebound)
Perfect For: Philosophically inclined creatives
Carse’s work isn’t about game design, it’s about a philosophy of life viewed through the lens of play. One of the core tenets — “those who must play cannot play” — acts as a polestar in my own thinking about issues of consent in participatory experiences. But Finite and Infinite Games is about far more than that and this slim volume, which can be devoured in one or two sittings if you push it, has at least one big twist of its own. — Noah Nelson
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Science Fiction
$17 (List price via Indiebound)
Perfect For: VR heads
First published nearly 30 years ago (!!), Snow Crash stands as one of the more prescient novels in recent memory in the way Neal Stephenson turned a satirical eye towards how the future of politics, a possible dystopia, and even memes would be woven together. The main reason it’s on this list though? How the book envisions both the internet and VR. As VR has improved in leaps and bounds, we move closer and closer to the Metaverse as imagined here.— Kevin Gossett
The Diamond Age or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson
Science Fiction
$17 (List price at Indiebound)
Where Snow Crash introduced the idea of the metaverse and Neal Stephenson’s nearly gonzo prose to the world of science fiction, Diamond Age has an even sharper political edge with a core concept anchored in class consciousness. One of the central figures is a “ractor,” a young woman who makes her living acting in interactive cinema productions. One such job is in a child’s “primer” — an almost magical book that acts as educational and entertainment device. — Noah Nelson
Situational Game Design by Brian Upton
Game Design
$39.95 (List price at Indiebound)
While most game design books focus on games as formal systems, Situational Game Design by Brian Uptown concentrates on idea that play happens in the participant’s mind, using a broad, modern design framework which takes into account when the player is aimless or still. There’s a lot in here that can relate to interactive and immersive performance-making; Upton lays out an argument for games as performances. And it’s quite accessible and easy to understand compared to other game design books. — Kathryn Yu
Impro/Impro for Storytellers By Keith Johnstone
Theatre studies
Impro: $19.95 Used (Powell’s)
Impro for Storytellers: $35.98 (Amazon)
Perfect For: Makers of all stripes
When you hear “improv” the next word you usually think of is “comedy,” and sure, you can build a pretty solid improv comedy troupe with the ideas and exercises in Keith Johnstone’s seminal Impro, but that’s not even the most interesting application. In both the original and the followup — Impro for Storytellers — Johnstone is interested in the way stories function and how to build a narrative out of thin air. There’s a simplicity and rigor in the toolset here that any immersive performer or creator, regardless of medium, will benefit from. — Noah Nelson
Tech
Three guesses what’s in th… yup. You got it right on the first try.
Oculus Quest
VR Device
$399.99 — $499.99 (Numerous Retailers)
Perfect For: Hardcore Gamers, Bigscreen Movie-Buffs, Distant Relatives, Immersive Travelers
This is yet another reminder that great VR is well within your grasp, and it doesn’t have to be expensive or limited to a PC! Everyone can find something to love here; be it a new workout machine, way to see friends or family, or a relaxing retreat when the world is too loud or cramped. Did I mention the free concerts, or the ability to do immersive theatre in your pajamas? — Will Cherry
Gift Cards
Look, I know what you’re thinking, they’re the “grandpa option.” But let’s be honest: who doesn’t like getting a gift card? The only thing better is money. They’re invitations to spoil yourself rotten, on someone else’s dime. And isn’t that the dream.
Here’s the gift cards we’d love to see in our stoc… ah, um, here’s your best bets for making a immersonaut happy.
Mckittrick Hotel Gift Card
NYC
Any denomination (The McKittrick)
Perfect For: Sleep No More-philes
Let’s face it, a night out at the McKittrick Hotel can cost a pretty penny, particularly if you add on drinks before or after seeing Sleep No More at Gallow Green (or the Lodge at Gallow Green in the winter). You may not realize it, but the show’s online gift shop offers up gift cards in any amount you wish, not just the more expensive show packages. Simply contact: giftshop@mckittrickhotel.com. — Kathryn Yu
Two Bit Circus Playing Card
LA
$30–100 (Two Bit Circus)
Perfect For: VR Heads, Escape Room Junkies, Arcade Gamers
For those in, around, or traveling to the Los Angeles area, Two Bit Circus offers a little bit of everything for people interested in VR, escape rooms, arcade games, and even immersive theatre. Load up a playing card for someone and open up three rings of possibility where they can jump from escape room to VR to arcade games and then back again. — Kevin Gossett
Disney Gift Card
Disney Parks, Resorts, and Stores
$25–500 (Disney Gift Card)
Perfect For: Theme Park fans, lightsaber builders, Baby Yoda obsessives
What’s a Disney gift card doing on here you might ask? (And most of you probably know where this is going, let’s be real.) Well, Galaxy’s Edge is at Disneyland and Walt Disney World and by all accounts building a lightsaber is the high point of what you can do on Batuu…in terms of experience and price. A Disney gift card can help your Force sensitive friends achieve their destiny without throwing their wallet into the Death Star’s reactor.— Kevin Gossett
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