So you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and turn that spare room into a home gaming room huh? However, you’re here reading this we’ll assume you, like everyone else who plans on turning part of their house into a games room, are still looking for a little advice and inspiration to build the perfect home games room. Perhaps you are not sure about what types of games are available for the home consumer to buy, maybe you have a limited budget and want to buy cheap games room accessories to design a games room on a budget, or maybe you have limited space (don’t we all) and want some advice on buying the best game tables and gaming accessories to get the best games room out of your limited space. That sounds like you, or you just want general advice on choosing game tables and accessories then the following article might give you the kind of advice and ideas you have been looking for.This article doesn’t seek to tell you how to design and plan a games room however, for that, we encourage you to look at our other article: Games Room Design which will help you there, we’re now looking at the types of games you can buy and who they’re best suited for.

When choosing games for your gaming room there really are no right or wrong choices to make…so long as they fit and you like playing them! You can however make good and better choices is you consider the following few simple points:

• Who will use your games room?
• How much space do you have available?
• Are there any extra considerations? eg. potention noise restrictions.
• Is there something you REALLY must have at the expense of all else?

Ultimately then, your choices will be tempered by who will use the room, what you like to play and how much space you have to do it in, with a couple of extra restrictions possibly being thrown into the mix like noise levels especially if you live in terrace house with paper thin walls or have neighbours above or below you.

The first and biggest consideration when considering the best games for a home games room is who the room is going to be designed for and used by most. For example, a family games room will have entirely different needs and constraints than a single person bachelor pad games room. If you have younger children then a zombie shoot-em up arcade machine isn’t going to be suitable and you have extra safety precautions to take when looking at things like dartboards and foosball tables. A bachelor pad however, can use just about any games room accessory out there but might want to look at poker tables and more single user games for when there is no one else to play against or the room will just sit idle during those times.

You get the idea, and whilst this may seem like common sense, it is often the common sense considerations which are most often overlooked, particularly when you set about a project with an idea already in mind. We have the following games room suggestions for game choices based upon who will be using it most:

Bachelor / Bachelorette Pad

If you live alone then always opt for a combination of games you can play by yourself and games which are fun for when the lads or the girls come over with a few six packs or bottles of wine. Single player games allow you to still get something out of your new toy when they aren’t other people around and include retro arcade machines many of which come fully loaded with 50+ classic games like Pacman, Space Invaders, Paperboy and many more, or pinball machines which are both equally great fun for tournament play when your mates do come over. Of course, a snooker or pool table, or dartboard is also a good multi-option choice as you can always knock a few balls around, or throw a few darts with or without an opponent. A great space-saving addition to a bachelor games room is a folding poker table, roulette wheel or blackjack card table all of which make for excellent fun holding a casino night or home poker tournament. Fold-up poker tables take up very little space when not in use, which will be most of the time, and therefore are an obvious addition to a games room and a sure fire hit with the current poker craze going around.

Married Couple - No Kids

Again, the world is your oyster when it comes to selecting games but ensure you choose something you BOTH like and avoid anything where one of you is vastly superior to the other in gameplay or your partner will become bored. If you are not sure what games room games you like best then head off down to your local games arcade to check out things like air hockey tables, arcade machines and table soccer tables before you make a decision. Some stores will also let you try these out if they are on display. If you are both of a highly competitive nature then perhaps consider avoiding more contraversial games like table tennis which can have ‘dodgy’ calls as you’ll end up arguing and there’ll we many a night spent on the couch… Couples aren’t limited to game tables however and should also look into parlour games and board games they can play together or with other couples. A games room needn’t just consist of expensive game tables and accessories!

The Family Games Room

A family recreation room has a few more considerations than if you are single or have no children to consider. The family games room needs to be a fun, safe environment which you know will become a noisy place but not too far out of earshot that you can’t hear when things are getting out of hand.

The types of games you choose for a family gaming room or kids games room varies from when it is just for adults. A family game room may be decided upon the age of the children involved with more board games and play toys for younger children, rising up to table football, air hockey etc. when there are older children and teenagers involved. Dad may have to forget the dartboard because of safety concerns and your choice of game tables will also be tempered by the safety aspects of each. For example, table football is a great favourite amongst kids and adults alike, but you’ll want to look for the telescopic rods to avoid accidental injury if you have smaller children wandering around where the rods are at head height - telescopic rods don’t fly out of the sides when you move them like the rods on cheaper tables.

In addition, should you choose an arcade cabinet you’ll want to steer more towards games which can be played by two players (if you have more than one child) to avoid arguments and avoid things like the zombie shooters etc. perhaps opting for a fun racing driving game instead.

Space Needed For Games and Other Considerations

Once you have decided upon what games your recreational gaming room should include you’ll need to ensure you have the space for all of them, or to start looking at some of the space saving options out there or consider some other trade off. Some games require very little space like an arcade machine which can sit nicely in a corner, whilst others like ping pong tables require a space of at least 21ft x 10ft for safe and comfortable play. A snooker table is another space gobbler but there are some compact, space saving ideas out there so you can get the games you want regardless of space available.

Take for example, the multi-play game tables offered by companies like BCE, John Jaques amongst others. Choosing one of these allows you to fit up to 11 games in a single table which is both a great way to save money and obviously space as well. A single game table may include table tennis, air hockey, pool, snooker, billiards, table football, chess, backgammon and more with varying quality levels available ranging from those suitable for younger children up to higher quality tables for adult players.

Another space saving tip are the combination snooker dining tables which double up as both at the flip of a lid whilst losing the style and functionality of either. Even if you haven’t space for a games room you can turn your dining area into a snooker room at the flip of a lid which can’t be bad!

Other Considerations

Finally, your choice of games should bring into play any other ideas or problems which are unique to you. Noise is a factor which may influence many decisions as if your games room butts onto a neighbour’s house or you live above other people then you’ll want to be as little of a nuisance as possible. In addition, if you have children then you don’t want to be woken up at six in the morning by a table tennis tournament or kept up late by your teenager blasting zombies on an upright arcade machine.

We hope the above tidbits have given you food for thought and offered a little bit of help in making your games room the best it can be. Our companion article on designing a games room offers a bigger emphasis on the decor and structure of a games room if you are still at that stage.

Happy gaming!