Gifts by gender

Why is it always more difficult buying gifts for boys? I'm not talking about little kids, but by the time they are twelve or so, boys just seem so difficult to shop for. My son is only three years old, so he is happy with just about anything. But we have some young male relatives that make things tricky in the gift buying department.

Usually we just end up giving gift certificates or spending money, that way everyone is happy and they can just buy what they want for themselves. You can purchase gift cards for almost any business these days, even movie theatres and coffee shops. Perhaps even video arcades offer gift certificates? That would definitely be appreciated by a boy of almost any age.