Video Game Room Setup for a Boy
Our soon-to-be 12-year old boy has been asking for a video game room. A couple of weeks ago, he finally got his wish! He’s always had a video game setup in the family room, but he wanted something more ‘sophisticated,’ I guess. So we brainstormed some ideas for this video game room, and we came up with a nice layout that we all in the family love. We found the perfect video game room furniture and complemented it with very cool accessories.
Since we do not have a separate playroom (or game room) in our home, his play area has been a corner in the family room since he was a toddler.
Frankly, the idea of having him play in an open space all these years, where I can monitor what he does, has been fantastic. I literally can watch him right from the kitchen sink.
Throwing it back to our playroom organization in January of 2016 (when he was 5), here’s what this same corner looked like then. Those sure were ‘the days’!
But fast forward to 2022, and our tween middle schooler doesn’t need a ‘playroom’ full of wooden train tracks anymore. He needs a gamer room full of electronics and accessories to play his favorite video games.
His main wish for the video game room was to have a desk to connect his laptop to a bigger screen and play video games using a keyboard. All these video game room furniture, accessories, and setup ideas had my head spinning because this room is not really a room, but a corner of our family room. But I have to say; it turned out amazing!
The video game ‘room’ is adjacent to our family room. The couch has always acted as a divider and the layout has worked out great for years!
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The Video Game Room Setup Before
As I mentioned, this corner of our family room has gone through several changes throughout the years. In 2018, I painted the room, added an 8-cube storage organizer, and concealed all the toys inside jute bins.
But not long after that makeover (nine months to be exact), the minimalist cube organizer turned into a media center. And this is how the corner looked like until just a couple of weeks ago.
To anchor and define the space, I added a Ruggable rug. This rug is one of the best purchases I have made for our home. On average, I throw it in the wash every two weeks, keeping its color and shape. This rug is ideal for our gamer room, where many spills and crumbs happen!
Our son was begging for actual video game room furniture, so we caved and added a desk and a gaming chair.
Furniture for the Video Game Room
When it comes to furniture design and furniture arrangement in my home, I can get picky. Things not only have to look pleasing and cohesive with the rest of the furniture in the house, but they also have to be functional without sacrificing style.
That’s the main reason why I picked the organizer cubby in the first place. It’s a piece of furniture that is sleek and functional, and it fits in this video game room without looking bulky or tight.
I don’t have a picture, but he had a white recliner in this exact spot before we purchased the gaming chair. But I will leave it to your imagination what that white recliner turned into after two short years. So, he needed a new chair, and with the chair, he begged for the desk to feel like a real gamer!
Gaming Chair
Before I begin, I must say that I was adamant about this bulky and mancave-looking chair in our family room. But our son will only be a teen for a while, and this is his home too. After all, I purchase furniture pieces that speak to me and bring me joy. So he also deserves to have the things he wants and make him happy.
The gaming chair was a splurge. So, I really hope it withstands all the gaming. It’s very comfortable, although I do not sit in it for more than 5 minutes. But, it’s definitely designed for long hours of gaming.
The chair swivels, reclines, or you can also only lift the legs up while keeping your back straight. My favorite feature is the built in cupholder, strictly necessary for a kid. We definitely do not want spills on the desk risking to damage all the electronics.
I must disclose that, we did not do much measuring, and the chair turned out to be a little too low for the desk’s height. However, that doesn’t seem to bother our gamer. But if you’re on the hunt for video game room furniture, I would recommend you take into account the height of the chair’s seat.
Desk for a Gamer Room
Before purchasing the video game room desk, we made sure we could re-arrange the furniture we already had. One of the features I love about the cubby organizers is that you can place them horizontally or vertically. So, I immediately knew I could do that and still keep it in this room for much-needed storage.
After measuring the wall, and both, the cubby’s height (to flip it over) and the desk’s width, we purchased this industrial-style desk at a very reasonable price.
If you look past the cable conundrum, it’s a good setup for this video game room. I did not want to go the extra mile concealing or hiding cables for this project. The laptop rests on the left of the desk, and it’s connected to the big screen. On the laptop, our son only plays Minecraft PC Edition. He plays other videogames using an Xbox One console, also connected to the screen.
The desk has a narrow shelf underneath, and it is good to hold other electronics. From left to right on the shelf there is the laptop’s power adapter, an iPad connected to power, and the Nintendo Switch console and remotes chargers.
On the desk, there are so many accessories that make this room an actual video game room! There’s the screen, keyboard, laptop, mouse/pad, video game controllers on a charger, and a headset holder. More on those below.
As you can see, he’s quite the gamer. I am happy we came up with good ideas for his video game room setup!
8-Cube Storage Organizer
As I mentioned before, this 8-cube storage organizer has been in this corner of our family room for quite a few years now. And it has evolved with all the stages. From kid playroom to tween video game room, to gamer storage. It really is that versatile!
Gone are the days of hundreds of toys and toys pieces scattered on the floor, which makes me a bit sad, so we only need 4 storage bins. I swapped the old jute bins for these gray striped ones to make the corner look brighter.
The gray stripes bring out the gray on the walls, while the off-white rope handles coordinate with the couch in our family room.
In the bins, we keep videogames, extra controllers, cables and small parts (inside ziploc bags), Nintendo Switch, video game accessories, etc. Basically anything and everything that is related to video games and electronics. Only one bin contains non-videogame related games. After all, this is the playroom.
In the other 4 cubbies; the Xbox One console, a WiFi sign (similar) , a faux plant, and a video game room sign from this fabulous artist on Etsy. On the bottom right cubby, a Bluetooth audio speaker.
Video Game Room Essentials and Accessories
I would like to mention all the accessories, and other resources we added to this video game room that make it uncluttered and functional.
These are:
- 9-outlet power strip | for all the connections! (similar)
- Asus gaming monitor | There are infinite choices in all price ranges. Ask your gamer what is he or she looking for.
- Gaming console | Xbox, Playstation, or a gaming laptop (similar)
- Headset Stand – this stand is not only perfect to hold those bulky headphones, but it also doubles as a charging station. Believe me, you need more ports than you think!
- Xbox Controllers Docking Charging Station – this charging station comes with rechargeable batteries you can add to the controllers. Say goodbye to AA batteries and save money! Please double check compatibility with your controllers.
- Gaming Keyboard – This keyboard comes with a gaming mouse. We opted to purchase a wireless mouse, separately.
- Wireless gaming mouse and mouse pad
- Xbox Icons Light
Ideas to Design a Video Game Room
If your tween is asking for a gaming room, but like us, you do not have a separate room in your home, consider dividing an existing space like we did.
Below are some ideas to help you create a video game room (even if you do not have much room)
- Use a large piece of furniture (like a couch) to help split a bigger room.
- Add a rug to define the space.
- Consider adding a storage unit that can conceal all the video game devices and accessories.
- Whenever possible place the furniture against a wall for openness.
Shop the Post
For your convenience, here’s a complete list of all the products mentioned in this post.
Furniture
Gamer Room Essentials
Video Game Room Decor and Accessories
