Since the first arcade machine was dragged into a basement, men and women, gamers all have pictured their ideal space. That one room which angles all of its form and function to one specific purpose – Entertainment.
But what is a gaming room? Why is such a thing cherished and desired?
Far more than a place to hide away, a gaming room is a culmination of a gamer’s collection and the shrine in which it is housed. Whether there’s a top-of-the-line PC running 4k graphics at 120hz over three monitors or a humble sofa out of the way to play your Nintendo Switch, it’s about the intent.
However, if you’ve got the space and the resources to devote, there are some must-haves as well as absolute classic items that go in any true gaming room.
Game Room Definition
There’s no gatekeeping here and no by-the-book definition. If you are wondering what is a game room in a house, a gaming room can be anywhere you enjoy placing yourself to get yourself into the gaming zone. It doesn’t have to be a specific room.
Be it a table for board games, a gaming console specifically set aside or something much larger, there is no prerequisite on what you call your gaming room.
What is a Games Room Used For?
A games room can be used for entertaining, playing games, or setting up a video game. Once you have the room, your TV, and a console at the ready, the next step is making it look as cool as possible.
One surefire trick to making your aesthetic eye-catching is to focus on one color for all of your peripherals and items you accentuate the room with. Keeping a theme color, usually, a primary color like red, blue or yellow, can make each item in a room feel connected to the rest.
In the theme of connection, keeping your cables tidy is another important objective. Safety issues aside, having hanging wires and loose cables looks inarguably messier than having them trussed up on a wall or sleekly slipped out of sight. There are dozens of different styles of cable collectors, so there’s sure to be one which will perfectly fit your gaming room.
Newbie Traps
There’s a common pitfall that hinders the creation of a truly special gaming room and that is having too much ambition. Many a room has lain mostly bare, decorated only by a single poster and figurine as the owner waits to accrue more memorabilia for their specific vision. I know we just suggested theming the room but it’s important to walk before you can run, that’s all.
Definitely do not let yourself be hindered so much by visions of grandeur that you end up sitting in a grey space simply hoping for those rare collector items to appear. Unless you’re able to be seriously hardcore about crafting a collection, the smartest choice is to know your budget – both spatial and fiscal – and actually use it.
Essentially, don’t leave space for a pinball machine you don’t have when it might be the perfect spot for your chair.
Showstoppers To Set The Scene
While there’s no lower limit to what can be a gaming room, there is also no upper limit. From Joe Manganiello’s insane Dungeons and Dragons themed tavern to the absolutely sprawling Space Gaming Centre in Stockholm (the world’s largest gaming room), we see that bigger absolutely can be better.
If you asked what one singular item would turn a room from a lounging space into a true gaming room most people would answer one of two things: A pinball machine or a retro arcade unit. Once gracing bars and restaurants the world over, these sadly fallen giants now more often find their homes when enshrined within a gamer’s lair.
Other great classics are ping-pong tables, the precursor to the first video game, Pong. No ping-pong, pool or air hockey table would be out of place next to an arcade machine of Pac-Man or a more haptic pinball machine. These items obviously require their own specific areas to fully enjoy, so we salute anyone who commits to going larger than life with their gaming rooms.
Is There Another Name for a Game Room?
You may have heard other names thrown around for your gaming room. Rec rooms, dens, and playrooms, are all completely interchangeable and recognizable to many.
Then you have your battle stations. This is less likely a whole gaming room and more about one side or corner of the room dedicated to one thing – a powerful PC. Sometimes stuck full of LEDs and glow-in-the-dark cooling liquids, an expensive and well-made battle station can be a true work of art.
The Really Important Stuff
Some people are looking for an in-person social experience for their gaming room and others want something more solitary. Whether you want to be social or want to hide away, there is just one thing that should be paramount when it comes to your gaming room and that is comfort.
The gaming chair is of utmost importance here. Where you rest your rear can affect a lot of things. Enhancing your experience with ergonomic, flexible seating can reduce stress on the body, moving tension from muscles you didn’t even know were tense. Having a firm back to the chair to help improve the posture which can slip while gaming is also a hidden health benefit.
Making It Unique
The only thing which really matters when it comes to your own gaming room is that you like it. Buy ambient lighting and funky peripherals if that is what you want, or keep things simple and minimal. By focusing on your own enjoyment, you’ll get the most out of it. At its core, that’s what gaming is about anyway.
Place your favorite movie posters on the walls, fill the room with squish mallows or other stuffed toys, and make it perfect for you. That’s the true best gaming room.
Take a look at how this guy transformed his uninspiring room into the ultimate gaming room.