In its many forms, gaming is one of the world’s most popular pastimes. It is estimated that there are over 3 billion gamers worldwide, which equates to over 40% of the global population. It is also important to understand that gaming is a hobby that is enjoyed by a high proportion of adults, with the average age of a male gamer being 34 years old. This contradicts the old-fashioned preconception that gaming is a pastime for children and teenagers. Many adults enjoy competitive online matches, playing popular first-person shooters such as Overwatch and the Call of Duty franchise of games.
In addition, casual gaming (often played on a smartphone and enjoyed in brief intervals) continues to grow in popularity. This form of gaming can be enjoyed on lunch breaks at work or while waiting for a bus or train. However, if you consider yourself to be a dedicated gamer, you most likely will want a space to enjoy competitive online games in your home. A gaming room can be the ideal solution, allowing you to play in comfort for hours at a time at your best. In this article, some top tips will be explored that will help you create your ideal gaming room.
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Invest in a quality gaming chair
One of the most important considerations for any gaming room is having a high-quality gaming chair. If you plan to play online for extended periods, you will want to do so in comfort. Poor seating that does not provide adequate cushioning and lumbar support will inevitably result in discomfort when playing for hours at a time and may even lead to developing musculoskeletal problems such as sprains and strains. Today, there is a wide range of high-quality gaming chairs that suit most budgets. Premium chairs may even offer advanced features such as a back massage function. Ideally, you will want to invest in an affordable gaming chair that is made by a reputable supplier and specifically designed for gaming. It should be height adjustable (to ensure you are viewing the screen at the correct eye level
Internet considerations
As any hardcore gamer will tell you, when playing online, your internet speed has a massive impact on your performance. A slow internet download speed may make it difficult to play competitively at the highest levels. This is because the online servers need to constantly send information to your gaming device, and slow download speeds may result in lag or slowdown in the action. Slower internet connections result in a higher ping rate, which leads to a less enjoyable gaming experience. Remember that in online competitive gaming, reactions are everything, and delays in controller inputs reaching the game can dramatically hamper your performance.
In short, if you take your online gaming seriously, it is of paramount importance that your gaming room has the fastest possible internet connection. Ideally, you will want to look for a fiber internet provider as this is the current “gold standard” in internet speeds. If you live in New York, search online for a reputable internet provider in New York. A professional internet provider may be able to offer you download speeds of up to 5 Gig per second. This is lightning-fast internet, which will enable you to enjoy online gaming with virtually zero lag or latency. It will also provide the capacity to stream online content to other applications in your home.
PC or console?
For serious gamers, there is another major choice for your gaming room: will you play on a dedicated gaming PC or the latest generation console? There are pros and cons for each platform. Briefly, a key benefit of PC gaming is that you can upgrade your hardware over time. After a few years, you may decide to purchase a more advanced graphics card to enjoy improved graphics and more realistic gaming environments. Upgrading your PC over time can allow you to play the most demanding titles without the need for a full new PC. Consoles tend not to be upgradable (barring the ability to upgrade their hard drives) and, as such, have a life of around ten years where they can play the most advanced titles. However, their ease of use and lack of setup considerations make them popular for gamers who simply want to plug in and play.
Create ideal lighting
As a brief final point, it is important to consider the lighting in your dedicated gaming room. You need to create an environment where you can game at different times of day or night and still enjoy a comfortable viewing experience. Consider adding some dimmer switches to your existing room lights so you can benefit from the perfect lighting levels at different times. In addition, you may wish to invest in LED strip lighting. This can be used to highlight your gaming area and provide lower levels of light when you wish to be highly focused on the action taking place on your monitor.