Help! Game room ideas?

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Retro STrife
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Help! Game room ideas?

Postby Retro STrife » May 22nd, 2016, 2:28 pm

Come mid-June, I'll be leaving apartment living behind and moving into my first house. One benefit of that is that I can finally empty out my storage unit of gaming stuff. I intentionally got more bedrooms than I need, just so I can finally create a gameroom, which I've dreamed of doing for nearly 10 years. Still, it's just one bedroom and space is at a premium. I don't plan to do anything crazy (i.e., no Mario murals on the wall, no life-size Zelda figures everywhere)-- in my mind, it's simply about making sure it all fits, with around 50 systems (consoles, computers and portables) and an unknown number of games-- along with the obligatory seating, a coffee table, entertainment stand, and at least one TV, if not two (tube and HD), and maybe a sound system too. It sounds like a 2-year project just thinking about it, and I don't even know if it's doable. I'd love any advice that you guys have from your personal experience with gamerooms, or just what you plan to do if you made one. Specific furnishings that you've used or recommend would be cool to know too.

For game storage, I'm thinking of something along the lines of this, maybe a couple of them:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KW0BM4

For the systems, I don't even know where to start... Maybe just a few standard 5-shelf bookshelves? And/or some of those shelves with the 9-cube design? (Although, some systems won't fit in the cubes...) I'm hoping to avoid custom shelving to save on cost, and I'm not handy enough to build my own.

Also, I think I plan to keep the games all in one place and the systems all separate (except maybe keeping portable systems and games together), but I don't know for sure. Any thoughts on that? Or anything else? All thoughts welcome and appreciated.

My biggest fear is investing in certain furniture, or running with one organization idea, and then getting to the end and realizing the room is an unorganized mess.

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: Help! Game room ideas?

Postby VideoGameCritic » May 22nd, 2016, 7:51 pm

I have a few random ideas. Instead of bookshelves for games, get "media" shelfs that hold CDs and DVDs because they won't stick out as far. If you have a sound system, wire the speakers into the wall. Install recessed lights to save more space. Consider a ceiling fan because systems can heat up a small bedroom. Get curtains for the windows and keep them closed when you're not in the room; sunlight fades game boxes. I have two TVs - one 27" Toshiba (old style) and a 42" Toshiba LED. Instead of a coffee table consider a pair of recliners with drink holders.

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Retro STrife
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Re: Help! Game room ideas?

Postby Retro STrife » May 24th, 2016, 1:44 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:I have a few random ideas. Instead of bookshelves for games, get "media" shelfs that hold CDs and DVDs because they won't stick out as far. If you have a sound system, wire the speakers into the wall. Install recessed lights to save more space. Consider a ceiling fan because systems can heat up a small bedroom. Get curtains for the windows and keep them closed when you're not in the room; sunlight fades game boxes. I have two TVs - one 27" Toshiba (old style) and a 42" Toshiba LED. Instead of a coffee table consider a pair of recliners with drink holders.



Thanks for the great advice, Critic. I will definitely go the media shelving route for games. (It's amazing how quickly a room shrinks when you line it with bookcases!) What method do you use and recommend for shelving and displaying the systems?

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Re: Help! Game room ideas?

Postby VideoGameCritic » May 24th, 2016, 6:19 pm

I hung my own shelves above the TVs with the displayable type stuff. If you can get some kind of wide media center style cabinet that has a number of compartments you can stick your systems in those and put your TV on top.

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Atarifever
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Re: Help! Game room ideas?

Postby Atarifever » May 28th, 2016, 6:12 pm

Now that we finally sold our old house and have bought a new one, I'm back to having a game room again too. I got a great shelf from my uncle. It's a literature rack (like they have at the library). You know the ones where the front is for magazines and they store all the back issues under the flip up front? It's a big, heavy one of those we actually had to attach to the wall for fear the boys would pull it over and crush themselves. So, magazines and books on the front, and games underneath. For example, my three "How to Win at Nintendo Games" books are outside, with the whole NES game collection under the flip up.

It's like this one, only made of wood and nicer. :)

http://www.shopbrodart.com/furnishings/ ... rage-Unit/

Herschie
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Re: Help! Game room ideas?

Postby Herschie » September 5th, 2016, 11:24 am

Retro STrife wrote:Come mid-June, I'll be leaving apartment living behind and moving into my first house.


That is absolutely awesome. My wife and I just bought a townhouse that we're closing on September 28th. And that's about all I can think about now. At the moment, I do have room for all my games in our shoebox 2-bedroom apartment but it's rather cramped, and I have to vacate the room when she wants to work out, because her exercise equipment is also in there. Yeah. Cramped.

So now I have to decide if I'm going to put the VGR (Video Game Room) in one of the three bedrooms, or in a basement. I was thinking bedroom at first, but I wanted to get a surround-sound system. Which would probably disturb her less in the basement. The good thing is that they had Permaseal come in, and the place isn't anywhere near any flood plains.

I was thinking about putting field turf on the floor and fake ivy on the walls to simulate Wrigley, but then with two dogs, I'm not so sure how good of an idea that is. I want to combine a Cubs/Bears/Zelda theme. But if I'm going to go sports, then I want everything to be '80s-style. Maybe frame a 1989 Andre Dawson jersey, or a poster of the 1985 Bears. I was even thinking of a mural of a map from Legend of Zelda.

Congratulations on the new place. I'd like to hear an update about how it all turned out.

Voor
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Re: Help! Game room ideas?

Postby Voor » September 5th, 2016, 6:28 pm

Congrats guys, have fun and enjoy it. My last "game room" was a DS on my nightstand. Lol. Kids...

Do plan on connecting the NES Mini in the living room though...if I can slide that by my wife. If not, looks like I'll be upgrading to a 3DS.

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scotland
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Re: Help! Game room ideas?

Postby scotland » September 15th, 2016, 6:10 pm

Fixing up my basement, and while its got a ways to go, its also come along a way. I would like something big, for both adults and teens. I have basketball and foozball already, and darts, and a big television I can hook up consoles for gaming. So, I was thinking of a pool table. Its social, and fun, and entertaining at a variety of skill levels.

Any advice on a pool table?

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: Help! Game room ideas?

Postby VideoGameCritic » September 15th, 2016, 6:22 pm

About the pool table - make sure you have enough space!
There's nothing worse than a cramped shot.
I thought I had a pretty big basement but there are still some bad angles around the pool table.

Herschie
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Re: Help! Game room ideas?

Postby Herschie » September 15th, 2016, 8:33 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:About the pool table - make sure you have enough space!
There's nothing worse than a cramped shot.
I thought I had a pretty big basement but there are still some bad angles around the pool table.



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