Gamesroom incoming!

A basement that should be on the wish list

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Not started yet but my brother, a bit of a genius with a hammer and nails, is building me a games room/art studio in my garden.
I'm trying to decide if I'm going to move everything into it or limit it to certain systems.
Don't want to crowd the space out, but it should be nice to have my stuff more comfortably accessible than they are now.
Any thoughts about what should/shouldn't make the cut into the new space?

From my own experiences (can't speak for everyone obviously), but the more stuff I had out in the shed, the less I was likely to use it. I'd several arcade machines out there at one stage, and the inclination to use them seriously faded for me with time. I felt having stuff accessible, inside the house, was the key to me actually bothering to turn things on. A combination of our weather (obviously it'll be insulated etc, but it'll need to be heated too), jacket on to step outside if its raining/cold, the toll the cold can take on electronics over the winter, and a general laziness in leaving the house just to play some games let me to not bothering.

Now, on the plus side....you'll have tons more space, volume of gaming won't be an issue, you can custom design your setup before everything moves in, the wow factor of it all set up, your consoles will all be available at the flick of a switch or two, and so forth.

In terms of advice, here's mine:

• Wire the room for internet, cat5e minimum, and run this back to the house router - this future proofs the room (esp if going cat6e+).
• Make sure you've a LOT of scope for power sockets, whatever you think you'll need, add more on.
• Think strongly about lighting - try have 2, even 3 different circuits. One for decorative soft light while gaming, one for good brightness levels for working in, and maybe another for dedicated daylight bulbs for your artwork etc.
• Flooring - I'd go carpet. It helps in the winter, and it's generally comfy to lounge around in.
• Seating - make sure you've accounted for a decent size sofa space...I'd imagine the beers nights could be held here? If so you'll want space for a sofa & some fold-able seating too.
• Sound - have you thought about having a projector out there? If so, and at least for future proofing, run some speaker cable for front, rear, & center speakers (hell you could even wire the ceiling for Dolby Atmos if you wanted to be really prepared).
• Vision - you'll want a large flatpanel display front & center for the modern stuff, and the trini for the retro gear (again make sure of sockets, sound & hardwired internet).
• Shelving for games - lots & lots of shelving.
• Security - whatever you do make sure the shed is as secure as the house, wired to the house alarm, perhaps even have a cctv camera in there for night time.
• Make sure your AV setup is sufficient - you'll want multiple consoles connected up, so cutting down on manually changing out cables should be the goal here - rgb switchers galore!

The above are just some ideas in a perfect world. The reality is space & cost will get in the way of some of them, but seriously consider the future proofing element...once it's built, its hard to go back without making making holes in walls etc.

Yeah I'd see something like this as a party/multiplayer area. So don't bring out expensive rare stuff and store it there, but do have a load of CRTs/screens/ multiple consoles (great excuse to have some dedicated link cable setups) your Atomiswave and a load of chairs.

What kind of size were you thinking?

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

No, it's not to far from the house, and my bladder/bowel control is as good as can be expected in a man of my age.
The room should be safe for all contents.
No, no more arcade machines!

You're thinking of this all wrong...
It's not about bladder/bowel control it's about comfort, convenience and contentment :P
Imagine needing to nip back into the house whilst it's lashing rain?

I have a toilet in my ManCave, that has full sight of the screen should I leave the door open

I can literally have a shíte while gaming or watching a match or a movie...
It's a whole new level of contentment! :pac:

On a serious note, be sure to take condensation, humidity and it's control into account.

Aggressively stocked drinks cabinet.

You should do that whole https://www.simonopendoor.ie thing to get an archs opinion on design/windows etc might just be a 'bring the outside, inside' reply though