Keeping Your Game Room Looking Tidy With Cabinets
One of the most addicting parts about gaming isn’t actually playing the games — it’s collecting the games. And as any male gamer’s girlfriend or wife will tell you, most game collectors’ rooms are quite a mess, even when they are “clean”.
As I mentioned in my article, “Game Collecting: How the Internet Changed the Hobby“, gamers typically get carried away with accumulating all the games they can get their hands on in order to build an especially impressive collection that they can show off to their friends and the world.
The result of this collecting spree is shelves full of boxes and cases for consoles, cartridges, and CDs. (See our guide to Shelving Your Collection) While displaying them all out in the open might be impressive for the hardcore gamer, it leaves room for tidiness and the “grown-up” look.
Compare that scene with this example of how some cabinets can transform a large collection of games and toys into a neat and organized environment.
A cabinet solution can benefit you in a number of ways:
- The room that has a much more mature feel
- The space seems instantly cleaner
- With doors are shut, everything looks in place, even if things aren’t organized perfectly
- The environment is more suitable for having guests over
- You will win major points with your parents or significant other
While the cabinet picture above is not showing video games, the concepts can be applied the same way: shelving for boxes, cases, and extra consoles along with containers for extra controllers and cables. (I’ll save in-depth organization techniques for another day)
There is something about having cabinet doors covering up the array of items that is actually refreshing. It gives the room more consistent and clean feel.
When I was first married, my wife told me she didn’t want all my games sitting out in the open (whether they neatly on shelves or not). At first I was a bit upset because I liked showing off my collection. However, after we recently moved into our new house, I have some built-in cabinets in my office and media area in which I can hide my gaming collection. I have to say I wouldn’t go back to normal bookshelves again.
If I need to browse or show off my collection, it is easy as opening a few cabinet doors. I personally feel that its more of a thrill to open the doors and be welcomed to an array of games than seeing them every moment I’m in the room.
Obviously, there are a few ways of getting some cabinets for your collection:
- You can buy brand-new cabinets (Ikea, Target, etc)
- You can build your own (mine are all hand-made, but not by me)
- You can recycle older cabinets (from your kitchen, bathroom etc.) and paint or re-finish them and touch them up with some new hardware.
Obviously, these storage cabinets don’t need to be as elegant and expensive as those you might find in a newer kitchen or bathroom. Mine are very simple wood that has been painted with white paint. The hardware (handles and hinges) can actually make the biggest difference and give them the most personality.
Obviously cabinets aren’t something that everyone needs in their game room, but those of us that need to keep our rooms looking presentable to the general public, they can be quite beneficial.
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