How to Design an Arcade Room
Building an arcade room inside of your home is a dream for hardcore and casual gamers alike. The idea of a collection of your favorite arcade and video games in one location can make any gamer feel like a little kid. Unfortunately, simply assembling a bunch of arcade games in a single room is not always the best idea. Before assembling your arcade room, you need to have a plan and consider potential hazards.
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Instructions
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Create a list of all items that will be installed in your arcade room. Once you have finalized your list, figure out exactly how many electrical outlets you will need to accommodate these items. Measure the dimensions of your arcade room, and figure out where additional outlets need to be installed for your arcade room blueprints to be realized. Do not assume that buying multiple power strips will solve your lack of outlet problems. Maximizing outlet usage by plugging in eight or more items into a single electric outlet can be a fire hazard. In addition to concerns about electrical safety, you do not want to run power cables across the arcade room just to save the cost of installing a few extra outlets. Not only does excess cables create an eyesore, they also present a safety risk to anyone walking around in the arcade room who might trip.
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Evaluate the arcade room structure before placing any arcade games into the room. Arcade game machines can be very heavy. Though one machine may not create problems for the structure, placing several arcade machines in a concentrated area may place stress on the floorboards and gradually create structural damage to your home. If your home is in good shape, this should not be a problem, but try to evenly space the heaviest games across your arcade room.
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Determine if and where you will place a television for console games. If you would like your television to receive cable, reserve the area near the coaxial jack for the television, as well as any speaker sound systems and furniture arrangements you wish to create. If this presents problems, you may need to create an additional coaxial jack and reroute the cable to accommodate your layout.
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Monitor the amount of natural light that comes into your arcade room during the day, or potential street lights at night. With video games reliant on video displays and screens for gamers to use, dark settings are ideal for arcade rooms. With too much natural light, glares will make it difficult to see televisions and especially older arcade games. If you have a lot of natural light coming into your room but do not want to relocate the arcade room, consider purchasing blackout curtains to reduce light entering the room. These curtains may also be energy-efficient, keeping your arcade room from becoming too cold during the winter, which may damage games.
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Know your surroundings. Do not place your arcade room next to a bedroom, as anyone trying to sleep will likely be kept up by the noise coming from the arcade room. Also, remove any fragile items from the arcade room, as games such as Ping-Pong or air hockey can become intense. Space all your games out as much as possible to create an even flow in the room, but also to allow gamers to play multiple games at the same time. If you do not space properly, you will have friends playing Ping-Pong running into other friends playing Donkey Kong, and chances are that combination will not go over so well.
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Tips & Warnings
Evaluating your electricity usage and outlet availability is crucial. If you are not familiar with electrical wiring yourself, hire a professional. Mismanaged electricity can damage your arcade games and, more importantly, your health.
