Take a look around any public space, whether it’s a grocery store or a mall and you’ll see just about everyone walking around with a phone in their hand.
We’re very attached to our electronic devices.
Then many go home and fire up the gaming devices for an even deeper digital experience.
And some don’t even wait that long. Their gaming on their phones all day long.
And that rolls into “Gaming Spaces”.
What’s a Gaming Space?
In basic terms, it’s a space in your home where things like WII and XBox can be plugged in and played. Oftentimes, this ends up in the same room as your main television space.
So if you’re lucky enough to be able to designate a specific room or area to the “gaming” aspect of life, here are some suggestions for getting the most out of the space:
You’re going to need to incorporate AV and surround sound and this takes planning. A tip on this is that your base speaker needs to be supported on the floor and not connected to the surrounding cabinets in any way. The reason for this is because of the vibration from the bass. It can cause distortion to other electronic devices and can also distort the games you’re playing.
If you’re using a projection screen, we would need all of your specs on that to make sure the cabinetry is built to fit within those parameters. These days the bigger the better and so is the quality of the gaming experience.
You’ll need some glass. And by that, we mean that you’ll need either open cabinets or cabinets with glass doors that allow your infrared remote controls to work smoothly with easy signal connection. Infrared (IR) remote controls have limited range and generally only work in the same room as the AV component it controls.
Lighting is another important issue to address. If your gaming space incorporates other things like pool tables or card tables, that light needs to be bright enough for you to see what you’re doing. But if you’re playing XBox, one of the simplest solutions is dimmable, recessed lighting. And include plenty of table lamps. They can easily change mood and lighting levels (key for people approaching the bifocal stage of life).
Soundproofing is another issue to discuss with your contractor. We already mentioned the bass. But if you’re upstairs trying to prepare dinner while the kids are downstairs gaming, you don’t really want it to be “all about that bass”. Have this conversation and decide on your solution very early in the planning stages of your project because some inexpensive insulation materials can employed before dry walling. There are also options which can include using surface mounted decorative acoustical panels.
Cover your wiring needs at this point as well. Who wants to see big fat black cables everywhere?
Cabinetry can be industrial or traditional. We can develop this in any style you prefer, as long as we have all the technical and specification information up front so it’s all designed to create a win for everyone at the gaming table.