Your Game Space

By Ryan Treit

After years of gaming in my parent's living room, when I moved to an abode of my own, I relished the freedom, the liberty to tweak my surroundings and upgrade my tech to create a zone worthy of gaming. For years now, I've honed the comfort and functionality of my gaming space to a razor's edge, an area dedicated to comfort and usability. In the end, it's the smallest additions and alterations that make all the difference. Sure, getting that 50-inch DLP TV and thumping surround sound with dedicated receivers for front and back speakers is high on the priority list, but those purchases are the easy part. Making a home for them to live in is what requires some thought.

Life for the Planet, Bane for the Gamer
I love the sun, but it has no place in my home! Sure, eating breakfast on the weekends with the shades pulled up and the windows open is a fine time, but a few hours later when it's time for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Chaos Theory™ with my friend Unpro, the sun is not welcome. The merest hint of glare may hide the presence of a spy sneaking to an objective. It can obscure the location of my partner (often ending in a lobbed grenade that kills him and the enemy), and make environmental navigation a nightmare. Beyond hindering gameplay, glare washes out the image, negating the visual fidelity of both the game and the television.

• First things first—get drapes for every window that could possibly add light to the room. The heavier the cloth, the less chance of light-penetration. However, you don't need a dark color. There's no need to make the room morose—this isn't "Gaming for Goths," after all.
• Place the TV out of the direct path of any window.
• If you don't like gaming in total darkness, put a lamp or turn on a light behind or to the side of the TV. Otherwise, you catch the glare of the light in the TV and see just as much of yourself as the game in the reflection.
• If you're thinking of buying a new TV, keep glare in mind when making the purchase. Some high-end TV's shine like mirrors, and you don't want that.

Easy Storage
If you're like me, you're swapping out games left, right, and center; in addition, you probably don't have a lot of room for bulky shelves to hold all your games. My solution was simple. I bought a couple of CD holders (the ones you attach to your car's visor) and hooked them onto the wall. I keep all the games in heavy rotation in those holders. No fooling about with cases, no mess. It's simple, it's clean, and it's effective.

Switch Box
This is crucial for anyone that owns more than just an Xbox® console and a TV. Chances are you've got more equipment than you do inputs. A switchbox takes care of all of that, but there are a couple things to keep in mind:

• A standard switchbox will not support component cables. Try a local retailer that deals with high-end electronics, or make your purchase online.
• You lose some quality through the transfer, so don't buy cheap. Do your research. There are plenty of reviews online to check out before you buy.

Taming the Wires
Looking behind your average entertainment center is a nightmare. Cables and wires going every which way, all tangled up and unorganized. There are products out there designed specifically to help you manage the situation, but an easy and cheap solution is zip-ties. They work great and you can find them at any hardware store.

All Wireless, All the Time
Having your clumsy oaf of a roommate trip over your controller cord in the middle of a Team Slayer match in Halo® 2 is liable to bring out a violent outburst of insults. Beyond that, cords are just ugly, so go for the wireless option every chance you get. Wireless controllers and Internet adapters should be standards for your gaming zone setup. It keeps things neat and organized, they work great, and your room looks better for it.

Flat Wire
Of course, a surround-sound setup has speaker wires going every which way. Hopefully you've got a rug, and if not, an area carpet to hide these unseemly additions to your décor. What's more, use flat speaker wires. First, it allows the rug to lie flush on the ground with no bumps; second, good flat speaker wire is a massive upgrade to the audio quality.

Amenities
When you sit down to game, you don't want interruptions or hassles, and there are a few basic items that can help facilitate this requirement:

• Universal Remote: No one likes to switch between countless remotes (TV, DVD player, receiver, cable TV), so do yourself a favor. A universal remote can fit the functionality of all your equipment into one unit.
• Bar Fridge: My current setup includes a large side table next to my comfy chair for snacks and drinks and such. What's more, it's tall enough to fit a bar-fridge right underneath it. Who wants to waste time heading to the kitchen for another soda?
• Trashcan: It seems silly, but you'd be surprised how much trash you can accumulate during a long session of Xbox Live®. No one wants a cluttered and messy gaming area, so sport a small trashcan within easy reach of your chair or couch.

When you sit down to game, you sit down to become lost in the moment. Play to relax or to compete, but always to be entertained. The last thing you need is a distraction or annoyance cropping up while you play. This is your "get away from it all" time, so enjoy it. The perfect gaming space isn't an afternoon project; it's a pursuit over a period of time, as you make small alterations and additions to further enhance the quality of your Xbox experience. Some people mod out their PC … I mod out my game space.