Top 6 Ways To Create Your Own Retro Games Room

Regardless of your age, the nostalgia you have from being a child is universal. We all have an inherent urge to transport back to the times when we were fresh faced and innocent from the complex world we know now. It’s 2017 and everyday it feels like another awful tragedy or political divide is broadcast to a worldwide audience so we can all despair in unison, in times like these we need to embrace our nostalgia and create our own temporary escape from the modern world.

What better way to soothe yourself than with your own retro games room? We’ve seen scores of people around the UK begin to create a space for relaxing that perfectly reflects the childhood and teen years when everything they loved was simple honest fun.

Perhaps you’re a lover of the classic 80’s video games, not just Pacman, but Q*Bert, Joust and the obscure one-man developer titles too. If you want recreate the experience of achieving the high score it’s about more than just playing the game, you need the right atmosphere to cocoon yourself from the distractions of everything outside.

You can even recreate that true pub environment by shooting a game of pool in your own space, complete with draught beer dispenser. We’ve even seen people turn their games room into a who’s who of iconic pinball machines. The only limit is your imagination!

Ok that was a lie! You actually have the limits of space, where are you supposed to put these stacks of old games, pool tables, best foosball tables and all the other cool stuff you need? Well we’ve seen a lot of creative solutions over the years from the best games rooms including garages, sheds and spare rooms transformed into a dream man cave (or she shed!) unfortunately we can’t help you decide where to begin planning your retro games room.

That being said we can certainly help you plan out the essentials of what to fill the room with to create the ultimate retro games room! Here is our rundown of suggestions on how to transport yourself back to your youth and embrace your nostalgia! If your idea of heaven is your own casino, you only need to add a laptop to the mix, and then you can indulge in Polish slots no deposit bonus in the comfort of your own den. For all other games, step this way…

Pool Table

No games room is complete without a pool table. Whether you enjoy a game of English or American pool there are tables to suit all tastes, size allowance and budgets.

By creating a pool table experience in your home you no longer have to endure the customary trip to the local pub and wait for your turn to use the table. Invite your friends around, get some cocktails/drinks in and setup a pool tournament and relive your youth.

If you want to maximise your fun and the space used consider a pool dining table, simply remove the top for a relaxing game on a regulation sized table.

Replace the wooden surface for an ideal dining table, making a great compromise in houses with less space. However, a great idea we would be to use this flat top to run some your favourite old school board games maybe even a game of Dungeons & Dragons to truly embrace our inner geek!

Coffee Table Arcade Machines

The ultimate statement piece in any award winning games room. Coffee tables are boring! What are they for, aside from a place to put your brew and to store your old TV guides? Coffee table arcade machines not only look great as a piece of furniture but are also a great piece of equipment to play your favourite arcade video game classics. These machines come pre-loaded with all your favourite classic arcade-style games from the 80s/70s – Space Invaders, Pacman, Donkey Kong and Galaxian are just a few to mention. These modern systems have over 100 games on them many multi-player so ideal to play with friends while enjoying some drinks and nibbles.

Football or Fussball Tables

For football lovers everywhere there’s nothing more satisfying than besting your mate (husband/boyfriend) on a classic football table! The iconic feature of many a USA sports bar and one of the most common themes for any games room.

For fans who want the ultimate American sports bar feel, you can dress the room with signed football shirts and memorabilia for the authentic match day look. There is also the option to match the cloth to your team colours and retrofit your own custom player figures to complete the look.

Table Tennis

With Wimbledon on the horizon, why not get ready for the quintessential British tournament by investing in a Table Tennis table.

If you have the room to comfortably play ping pong in your games room then a table is an essential. While many people use their games rooms as retreats for close friends only if you’re looking for a family space where you can compete with each other regardless of age you can’t go wrong with a ping pong table.

Also the health benefits of table tennis have been touted for a while now, a game can burn up to 350 calories in just one hour! As an alternative way to keep fit few games are as fun and accessible as table tennis.

In keeping with our retro theme, you could create a Wimbledon party with Pimms, strawberries and cream with a fancy-dress angle getting everyone to dress up iconic tennis players of the day, if any of your guests dress as John McEnroe just make sure they don’t smash your paddles in anger!

Retro Home Games Consoles

What was your first games console? Chances are that you can nab a used version on eBay for a couple of quid, throw in a little more for a full set of controllers and games, which sellers will often lump in one package for an easy sell.

If you want an updated classic we recommend the Sega Megadrive 25th anniversary edition, complete with 80 built in games, including classic two player fighting games like Mortal Kombat and platformers like Sonic the Hedgehog. It doesn’t have to stop you if you don’t have the physical console, and you can still enjoy your retro Gameboy games by using a gba emulator to access games like the early seasons of Mario and Zelda.

Get the complete look by setting up these game consoles on retro monitors for the ultimate retro gaming experience.

Board Games

We’re not thinking the family destroying frustration of Monopoly, few house hold’s can play it without it ending in screaming matches and scattered board pieces. If you’re looking for a family game we recommend Mouse Trap for a more relaxed experience, albeit we could never get the trap to work first time!

What else would you add into your own retro games room? Are you more of a 90’s baby who wants to add a collection of TY Toys to their room? Or perhaps you have even more suggestions on what games to play, both physically and video games (what about dance mats!).

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