Gaming is one of the biggest hobbies in the world, and as anyone who’s really into it will tell you, ambience counts. It’s not only what you play or which systems you game on, but also where you do the gaming. Sure, you can do gaming almost anywhere, but a truly dedicated gamer will want to have their own gaming corner or gaming space. This can be a section of your home, or an entire gaming room. In many cases it’s been referred to as a gaming cave or just man cave. Recently, gaming bedrooms have become very popular, although we recommend gaming in a dedicated space other than where you sleep if you can help it.
Each person wants to express their passion for gaming in a different way, and most of us are on a budget so it’s not like we can just hire an interior designer. In this article we’ll show you some of the essentials of making your own gaming room a place that’ll enhance your enjoyment of every moment you spend with your favorite hobby. Since it’s a lucky number, we’ll list the top eight!
1. Space: this depends on where you live, of course. We don’t want to make any assumptions. If you have a cozy studio that you love very much, then a corner or a section of it will work great as your gaming base. But of course the more space you have, the better. Larger spaces not only fit more, they’re better for heat dissipation plus cable management and are surprisingly easier to clean. If you can dedicate a whole room to gaming, that would be best. If you have a basement, then that’s ideal because you could game loud and proud without disturbing your neighbors or even family members. Also, basements make for excellent game caves or man caves, they just have the right feel to them.
2. Lighting: according to all official health advice, gaming is best done in a well-lit environment to reduce the risk of headaches and even epileptic episodes. However, many prefer to game in dim environments so flexible lighting you can easily control is best. A light management system may come in handy. Additionally, the connection between gamers and RGB lighting is now so firm, it appears unbreakable. Dynamic RGB certainly makes your gaming room a lot more stylish and interesting to be in, and you can get tons of RGB lights for not a whole lot of money.
3. Hardware: a bit obvious, but you need to choose your gaming platforms. That will affect the size and arrangement of your gaming room. Consoles like PS5, Xbox Series X, and certainly Switch have a small space footprint overall, and typically only need two wires to work. You will need a place for your controllers, though. Add a PC and things get more complex, even if it’s a gaming laptop. For serious gaming you’ll want the option of a full-size keyboard and a good gaming mouse, and those require large-ish surfaces to work on. And since everything’s online now and gaming’s an always-connected hobby, you want your game room to have good quality internet connectivity. You should invest in a good router so that all of your gaming devices will get a stable Wi-Fi signal, or be able to connect via Ethernet if you want the best connection for multiplayer gaming.
4. Display: here’s an interesting thought. Projectors make for the most flexible gaming displays, and modern gaming projectors feature high refresh rates, superb HDR, and true 4K. With a projector, you decide how big the screen is, while with a TV you get a fixed size. Also, TVs take up much more space than projectors and aren’t as versatile. But most importantly, per inch projectors provide far superior value and the best gaming models have very low input lag, just like the finest and fastest TVs. For when you want to zoom in on the action or if you have a PC and want a display for both gaming and other applications, then of course a monitor is the best choice.
5.Sound:
if you’re in a basement aka gaming cave, then you can go for a much bolder and more powerful sound system because you’re less likely to disturb others. Surround sound is standard in gaming, meaning getting a good speaker and subwoofer array is definitely viable for realistic audio. Additionally, wireless gaming headsets offer great sound without the hassle of being tied down by cables, and battery life keeps improving. If you have several headphones and want to show them off, investing in a headphone stand is a wise choice.
Read: How to Connect Your Gaming Console and External Audio?
6. Seating: generally speaking, console gaming is done from afar and on the comfort of a couch or sofa. But then again, something like a cushy recliner will do just as well if you’re mostly by yourself. If you have guests over for gaming sessions regularly, then obviously a larger couch or sofa is a must. We suggest you complement this with a comfortable office or gaming chair. Again, this is necessary for when you want to sit closer to the screen and for desktop PC gaming and productivity. So-called racing chairs have improved a lot over the last few years, and offer a good balance between style, comfort, and features like USB ports and, you guessed it, RGB lights.
7. Collectibles: personalize your gaming space with items that reflect your particular approach to the hobby. Action figures, minifigs, posters, statues of game characters, even magnets, pins, and badges. Anything goes, really. If you buy deluxe editions of games you’ll gradually collect a lot of swag, and will have plenty to show off.
8. Personal items: these aren’t necessarily related to gaming, but show off your personality and give you comfort by simply being around. They range from family photos to musical instruments and from sports gear to plushies. The whole point of a gaming room is to feel at home, and while last on our list, these items are certainly not least, and may in fact have a very big impact on how much you enjoy your gaming.
Bottom line is that any space you invest yourself into will become your gaming area, room, cave, and so on. Sure, as we said, the bigger the better, but don’t hold back from better enjoyment of this wonderful hobby if you only have a small area, that’s fine. And with the essentials above represented, you’re sure to get so much more out of the precious time you spend gaming.