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I used to play games on a 13 inch television in my parent’s basement, sitting on the floor with a paper towel protecting my drink from the carpet. I never thought twice about the compactness of the screen, even with massive amounts text and dependency on graphics. Gaming back then was about the game and only the game. There weren’t hundreds of televisions and sound systems to choose from, so you made due with whatever you had and didn’t think twice about the fact that you could be playing on a large, sharp screen the size of a small island. We didn’t have that complication pre-PlayStation.
Now, one merely has to walk inside an electronics store to see what things could be. Most stores have their major theater displays near the front of the store, making them almost impossible to avoid. And when you reach the game section, high def screens (albeit smaller ones, 20-30 inches) abound every corner. It isn’t just about televisions and sound, either. Gaming chairs are becoming more popular each cycle, with more perks being added, like drink holders and full body massage mechanisms. There are even game-themed air fresheners, furniture, and wallpaper, making a complete trifecta of cheesy gaming kitsch which seems more appropriate for the 1950’s than 2007.
When I decided to dismantle my rusting exercise bench and convert the space into a game room, I didn’t have any qualifications. But I knew I wanted something which would make me feel comfortable playing a game for more than an hour or two. RPGamers in particular need a more thoughtful space since we play longer than fans of other genres. We can’t just pick up a controller and play a round or race and be content. If I played for 30 minutes each day every day, it would have taken me 100 days to beat FFXII. I’m the type that would rather play for 7 hours at once, wait a week and put in 7 more hours. I get more involved in the storyline that way.
I managed to salvage an old La-Z-Boy by outfitting the bottom with plywood and putting a couch cushion on top. It doesn’t recline, but who needs to sleep when you’re engaged in a good story? I bought some of those multicolored rubber mats you find in children’s recreation rooms and put them on the floor. You’d be amazed at the change in atmosphere that occurs based solely on the surface your feet rest on. And I also put in a mood lamp, not because anything remotely romantic happens up there (I’m almost always alone), but because bright lights cause glare and pure darkness hurts my eyes after a while. To complete the picture, I put up pictures of myself and my family in Hong Kong, giving the room an Asian feel, which, in my opinion, is ripe for gaming.
To complete the room, I committed my own personal sacriledge and bought a 20-inch flat screen television for $98. It’s surprisingly crisp for an American television (made in China, of course). Not quite HD, but not ignoring the improvements in technology we’ve made either. I admit it would be a shame to play games like Baten Kaitos and Resident Evil which are so background-heavy on an old TV. The graphic artists deserve better than that. And, I have to admit it is infinitely easier to read text on a flat screen TV. Not quite the benefits of DDR, but still a great health perk.
Now that I can afford it, I understand the significance of a great gaming space. It needs to be personal enough to feel comfortable, and serious enough that you aren’t consistently getting up to do other things. Our genre deserves proper time and attention paid, otherwise, why bother? And great game spaces are one crucial step in providing us with the means to do so.
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