Interaction.

• Position: What's new? Holiday gifts galore - Interactive electronic games - Buyers Guide

It used to be that when you played a game with someone, that someone was a living, breathing person, a friend, cousin, schoolmate, etc. Nowadays, that "someone" is more likely a something--a computer, VCR, or TV set. Some may call that antisocial, though the industry much prefers the term "interactive."

For example, when it comes to playing baseball or football, it's no longer a case of rounding up enough warm bodies for a game. Instead, all you need are the Showdown Sports Card Games from Wizards of the Coast, Inc., Renton, Wash., and the accompanying paraphernalia--an electronic reader that decodes and stores information from an assortment of player and strategy cards that are run through its scanner, along with a 20-sided die, playmat, and rule book. NFL Showdown ($29.99) allows you to draft your dream football team, call players, and strategize, then let the electronic reader tell you what happens. If you're unhappy with your players' performance, you can add booster sets of 11 randomized cards for $3.99 a pack. MLB Showdown ($9.99) works the same way for baseball, though you get the option of 11-card booster sets for $2.99 or 15-player draft packs plus 45 strategy cards for playoff series for $9.99 to supplement your 150-player starter set.

Play TV Baseball ($49.99)...