How to Create a Gamer’s Dorm Room

Highlights

• Lightweight tech and accessories make it easy to balance studying and gaming on the go.
• Organization is key in a small dorm room, consider bookshelves and desk organizers.
• Opt for dimmable lighting, customizable RGB lights help set the mood for gaming and studying.

College is an exciting time, but it’s no secret that it can also be a very cramped time. Dorm rooms are often shared and even when they aren’t, they’re usually pretty small. It’s important to efficiently use the space you have for your various activities.

This is easier said than done, considering the fact that your dorm room will be your place to study, practice, and game. Balancing gaming and studying can be difficult for new college students, though even some upperclassmen can struggle with fitting their hobby into their school schedule and vice versa.

However, there are a few simple things you can do to ensure that your dorm room is ready to support work and play.

Steps for Creating a Gamer’s Dorm Room

1. Use lightweight and compact devices
2. Create storage for everything
3. Consolidate chargers
4. Efficiently use vertical space
5. Implement dimmable lighting
6. Encourage good airflow
7. Add gamer decor and art

Step 1: Use lightweight and compact devices

It might seem like nothing more than a good way to spend a bit more money on your devices, but having lightweight tech can make a huge difference throughout the day. For instance, using a light and fast laptop will make it easy to lug back and forth between classes, while also providing the specs necessary to play the newest AAA games.

In the same vein, portable accessories, such as mice, headphones, and chargers are so much easier to deal with when they’ve got a compact design. Most laptop bags and backpacks come with plenty of pockets, but unless your accessories are small enough, you could end up digging for everything you need throughout the day.

Foldable headphones and headphones meant for exercising are excellent options for walking around campus with some tunes. Likewise, using a mouse with either Bluetooth connectivity or a USB receiver that can be stored in the base is the best choice for students who visit different computers at different times of the day. Getting lightweight and compact accessories also makes it easier to clear away clutter when those accessories aren’t in use.

• 

  Acer Predator Triton 14 Gaming Creator Laptop

  $1080 $1500 Save $420

  Acer Predator Triton 14 Gaming/Creator Laptop is a high refresh rate laptop with a quality IPS panel for an immersive gaming experience. With the 14-core Raptor Lake CPU and RTX 4050, it is capable of playing games with decent framerates at 1080p resolution, and rocks in CPU-intensive operations. A thin and lightweight build makes it easily portable and the RGB keyboard makes it look gorgeous.

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  Timbuk2 Authority Deluxe Laptop Backpack

  $159 $160 Save $1

  The Timbuk2 Authority Deluxe Laptop Backpack is designed with premium materials, helping users stay organized and ready to work at home or away. Padded backpack straps and grab handles combine with an air mesh back panel for ultimate comfort. The padded laptop sleeve holds up to a 17-inch laptop and can be accessed inside or out, while an internal organizer keeps key accessories safe and at the ready.

• 

  Shokz OpenRun Pro Headphones

  $160 $180 Save $20

  The Shokz OpenRUN Pro headphones redefine everything about open-ear listening. While the drivers are 20% smaller than previous models, they still feature Shokz’s signature open-ear design and deliver all-day comfort. Crush training goals while jamming to some music, but stay aware of traffic, pedestrians, cyclists, and more with OpenRun Pro.

Step 2: Create storage for everything

Professor Oak was right. There’s a time and place for everything. Organization in a small space, especially for gamers, is the difference between everything being put away tidily and living in a sea of clutter.

Using a bookshelf is a great idea if you have the space. The bottom shelves should be used for your biggest textbooks to help prevent the case from tipping over, while figures and game titles should be kept towards the top, doubling as an eye-catching display.

However, one of the most affordable ways to stay organized is to get a desk packed with storage options. If there’s room, an L-shaped desk is likely going to offer the most storage. In a smaller space, grabbing a compact desk with many shelves and a pegboard will provide ample room to store your gadgets.

In either case, desktop organizers are a lifesaver, particularly if you’re an artist. There are many options to choose from, too, including unconventional lazy-susan stands that are ideal for holding all kinds of gaming accessories. Clip-on holsters for headsets, cups, and monitors can further expand the available space on your desk, and these items are usually pretty cheap.

The most stylish way to deal with organization is to use storage cubes. You should buy the same brand across all of your storage boxes to ensure that they can stack well together. Typically, soft storage cubes are ideal for lightweight, yet durable accessories, such as controllers, chargers, and game cases. Hard plastic boxes are going to be the better option for items that need a bit more care, such as high-end headsets, digital art pens, and specialized adapters. Aim to give everything its own box or case; this won’t be possible either due to size or cost, but it will force you to consolidate as much space as possible without having to worry about damaged or lost items.

• 

  SEDETA L Shaped Reversible Computer Desk

  $170 $210 Save $40

  The SEDETA L-shaped desk has everything gamers need and then some. The spacious desk can hold three monitors, two storage shelves, and a CPU stand. This stylish desk can be converted into a long, straight desk or maintain its standard L shape, making it ideal for a wide variety of spaces. The desk also comes with a power outlet, LED lights, a keyboard tray, a headphone hook, a storage bag, a top hutch, and even a pegboard.

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  ELECWISH Multi-Functional Gaming Desk

  This compact desk comes at an affordable price and offers users ample room for their PC, monitor, and accessories. The overhead shelf and pegboard add to the available storage space, too!

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  Giikin 2 Tier Lazy Susan Turntable

  This two-tiered lazy susan shelving unit is perfect for keeping items organized and out of the way, while still being readily accessible at a moment’s notice.

Step 3: Consolidate chargers

Keeping your devices charged between classes and competitive matches is absolutely vital to surviving college life. However, using a different cord for every device is going to get old very fast, though probably not before everything gets tangled a few times. Instead, you should add charging stations to your room. That being said, it’s still usually a good idea to have a dedicated quick-charge cable for your phone specifically.

As for everything else, headset stands and smartwatch charging stations represent the most versatile charging options. Headset stands are typically equipped with multiple USB outlets and space on the base to store a phone or controller. Keeping a headset stand near our PC is also ideal for consolidating wireless mice, keyboard, and speaker charging.

On the other hand, users who wear a smartwatch should turn to the charging stations made for their given model. These often feature USB and wireless charging for most smart devices, including phones, earbuds, and digital art pens. With extra USB charging ports, gamers can even use these stations to charge their gaming mice, controllers, and headsets.

Ideally, you will have one charger for your phone, plus one charging station for everything else. This will reduce the footprint of your devices, while also cutting down on the cost of buying or replacing individual chargers.

• 

  Apple Watch Series 9

  $300 $410 Save $110

  The Apple Watch Series 9 is powered by a new custom silicon from Apple that allows for machine learning tasks to process two times faster and gesture controls. These controls make it much easier to interact with the watch regardless of what the user is doing, from playing music to answering a call and even checking the weather gesture controls can do it all.

• 

  Fitbit Charge 6

  Give any routine a boost with the Fitbit Charge 6. Besides the whole swath of fitness features that the Charge 6 has, it also has all the essentials to get through the day, like YouTube Music, Google Maps, and Google Wallet. With a seven-day battery life, the Charge 6 is perfect for those people who forget to charge their watch, or just want to leave their charger behind.

• 

  Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station (3-in-1 Stand)

  $90 $100 Save $10

  This 3-in-1 Qi2 charging station can simultaneously charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, offering a convenient solution for charging multiple Apple devices. It comes in at a significantly lower price point than MagSafe 3-in-1 chargers despite offering the same capabilities, including 15W charging for supported iPhones and fast charging support for Apple Watch.

• 

  GIM Wireless Charging RGB Gaming Mouse Pad

  $29 $37 Save $8

  The GIM Wireless Charging RGB Gaming Mouse Pad is a versatile offering in the gaming mouse pad space. It integrates a 15W wireless charger on the left edge of the mouse which leaves plenty of space for the keyboard and mouse. There is also RGB lighting all around the mouse pad. 

Step 4: Efficiently use vertical space

There’s a reason loft beds are so popular among college students. These beds maximize the room in a dorm by utilizing vertical space, with great success. Underneath a loft bed, students can easily fit a compact desk and Chromebook or PC to do school work on, while also adding in a gaming console or portable PC gaming space in the adjacent space. This not only keeps things more organized than with a combo setup, but it will also help you to step away from your school work when you need a break, and turn your back on your games when you need to study.

If possible, consider wall-mounting your monitor so that your mouse and keyboard can be tucked under it when you’re done with your PC for the day. Additionally, wall-mounting consoles, controllers, and headsets can really free up a lot of space in your room, and they cost almost nothing.

• 

  2024 ROG G22CH DS764

  $1150 $1517 Save $367

  This ROG G22CH DS764 is a 2024 model with the latest hardware from Intel and Nvidia. Combining one of the best high-end CPUs and the best budget GPU, the gaming PC delivers 60 fps in modern titles while being compact on the desk. It’s beautiful and provides a keyboard-mouse combo to get started right away.

• 

  Acer Chromebook 516 GE

  $448 $649 Save $201

  Designed specifically for gaming on Chromebook and equipped with everything gamers need to get into cloud gaming, it’s now possible to fully enjoy high-FPS gameplay. It has a high-speed refresh rate of up to 120Hz and high bandwidth with a built-in RJ-45 2.5G Gigabit Ethernet (2.5GbE) LAN port and Wi-Fi 6E support. Take full advantage of the crisp and clear frame rate.
   

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  VIVO Height Adjustable Extended Wall-Mounted Monitor Arm

  The VIVO Height Adjustable Extended Wall-Mounted Monitor Arm is an excellent wall-mounted option for those who do not have the space for a desk-mounted monitor arm or prefer using a wall to adjust their display instead of other fixtures. The wall mount is gas-powered and supports both VESA 75 and VESA 100 mounting standards to support a variety of small and large monitors.

Most dorm rooms have ceiling lights, but many students use their own sources of light so that they can stay up late or get up early without disrupting their roommate. If you decide to add lighting to your room, make sure to choose a model that can be hung up, so that it doesn’t take up any desk or floor space. There are plenty of battery-powered ceiling lights available online, but string lights can be just as effective and add a lot more ambiance.

Step 5: Implement dimmable lighting

Life gets busy when you go to college and between work, class, and hanging out with your friends, you never know when you’ll have a moment to dive back into your favorite game. Adding lights to your room that can be dimmed or otherwise customized to fit your needs on the fly is another excellent way to balance school and gaming.

First and foremost is the obvious benefit of being able to play games late at night or early in the morning. Playing in the dark is not good for your eyes, even if you dim your screen, so adding just a bit of ambient lighting can really help reduce eye strain. RGB lighting for your gaming space is even better, as the color of the lighting can be changed from warm to cool, depending on which works better in your room.

Another benefit of customizable RGB is the fact that you can set the mood for gaming and studying. Time is of the essence at college, so training your brain to get into game mode when the lights go down is perfect for squeezing in short sessions between classes. Similarly, turning the lights to a bright white when it’s time to do some serious studying can help your brain focus, even after a thrilling competitive match.

It must also be said that adding dimmable lighting gives you more control over the feel of your dorm room, which can make all the difference during any activity in your home away from home.

• 

  Govee Neon Rope Light 2

  $60 $100 Save $40

  The latest Govee Neon Rope Light is softer and more flexible than ever, making elaborate designs possible. Redesigned clips guide the light and allow installers to create artwork before placing any adhesive on walls. Once on a wall, the Govee app can recognize the most distinctive shapes and program lighting for various segments along the rope light. Govee’s constantly learning AI Lighting Bot is capable of inventing lighting patterns based on phrases, images, and voices. Since the Neon Rope Light 2 is Matter-compatible, it can work with more smart home ecosystems outside the Govee app. 

• 

  Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite Dune Part Two Special Edition

  $60 $90 Save $30

  Gamers and cinema buffs can celebrate the release of Dune: Part Two with a special edition Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite kit. This screen mirroring solution includes an improved fish-eye corrective camera designed to hang securely on modern thin-panel smart TVs. The camera scans all parts of a screen and programs an LED strip based on images from Dune movies or popular video games. In the Govee Home app, users will find special Dune-inspired app themes and lighting effects. 

• 

  Nanoleaf Elements

  Nanoleaf Elements addresses the needs of buyers looking for smart lights that resemble luxurious home decor. The Elements panels have a textured wood grain veneer that fits in with many living spaces. Providing either warm or cool white colors, the Elements produces the ideal mood lighting to match any activity or time of day. Elements offer the same connectivity as other Nanoleaf smart lights, with integration into Google, Amazon Alexa, and Apple Home. 

Step 6: Encourage good airflow

Many dorm rooms have a single window and a vent or two blowing in cool or warm air, depending on the season. Every gamer knows that this isn’t the best environment for their beloved gaming setup, but remedying this is a cinch.

The best option is to buy an air purifier, which can capture dust and bacteria as it cycles the air, while also providing a nice breeze. Although they make large air purifiers that can keep a room clean and cool, even desktop-sized ones are effective at clearing the air. Keeping the dust contained will ensure your PC stays as clean as possible, no matter what.

Another option for maintaining good airflow is, naturally, adding some fans to your PC or even your console. AIO coolers are the most efficient way to keep your PC under temp, but if it’s in a stuffy room, controlling the temperature will always be an uphill battle.

A desk fan is the cheapest and most unobtrusive way to add airflow to your space. They may be small, but they make a world of difference on hot days when the AC just can’t keep up. Plus, desk fans almost always use USB plugs, meaning they can be brought along to hot libraries and tech labs, too!

• 

  Corsair LL Series LL120 RGB

  $63 $130 Save $67

  The Corsair LL Series LL120 RGB fans are an excellent set of ARGB fans that can be customized via the Corsair iCUE software. This comes with Corsair’s dedicated Lighting Node PRO device which handles the RGB end without a hitch for the dual-loop RGB fans.

• 

  PS5 Cooling Fan Back Attachment

  $30 $35 Save $5

  This PS5 Cooling Fan Back Attachment snaps easily onto the back of a PS5, bringing an extra layer of cool to your console. With three bright LED lights to help indicate power, this attachment not only helps keep your console cool, but adds a little extra color flair to your setup. The PS5 Cooling Fan Back Attachment helps push hot air out of your console, preventing any damage and moving away dust. It has two settings, Low and High, for if you want the fan to be quiet or do all it can to cool your system.

Step 7: Add gamer decor and art

College shouldn’t feel like a prison sentence, so make sure to decorate your space as much as possible! Gaming posters are the most affordable way to add a lot of flair to your room, but they’re far from the only option. Even within that category, if you choose a more premium poster type, such as a metal sign or framed piece of artwork, you could have the display double as minimal sound reduction. Thick canvas pieces are especially good at dampening sound, thanks to their fabric and wood construction.

Use a gamer blanket to cut down on costs for your seating. Any old loveseat or armchair will do if you can cover it with a cool blanket. Plus, then you will never be that friend who doesn’t have any sheets to spare when someone stays the night. Not only that, but a lot of gamer blankets have cool scenes depicted on them!

Figures and collector’s items are the most expensive way to decorate your dorm, but they certainly attract attention! If you have a dorm room all to yourself and have an enviable collection of gaming merchandise, it only makes sense to put it on display!

College is one of the best times in people’s lives to find new friends, and by integrating your love for gaming in a dorm room, you’ll be sure to attract lifelong companions!

• 

  Trends International Pokémon – Kanto Grid Wall Poster, 22.375″ x 34″, Unframed Version

  This poster shows off the first generation of Pokémon, based on the Kanto region, and makes a whopping 151 Pokémon! Measuring 22.375″ x 34″, this unframed paper poster effectively shows off all the Pokémon from this generation and serves as a worthy addition to any fan’s wall. This is especially targeted towards fans of the franchise’s first generation, making it a nostalgic piece to include.

• 

  LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog™ – Green Hill Zone

  $64 $80 Save $16

  Sonic is no stranger to LEGO, having already been a minifig for the 2016 fan-favorite LEGO Dimension toys-to-life game series, this set is Sonic’s first foray into premium LEGO builds. This 1125-piece recreation of Green Hill Zone includes the classic loop, the checkpoint poll, spring pads, and of course, golden rings. While Dr. Eggman’s build is lacking, the attention to detail for the enemies and power-ups makes this set a must-have for Sonic fans. 

• 

  Hedwig Squishmallow

  $20 $35 Save $15

  She was Harry Potter’s best animal friend, and now she’s memorialized in stuffed and squishy form. This Hedwig Squishmallow comes in two tones of white with black accents. Her wings stick out on the sides, and the super-soft fabric mimics the softness of her feathers. She comes in the standard 8 and 10-inch sizes. 

FAQ

Q: What should be in a gaming room?

A gaming room should have a desk or entertainment center, a monitor or TV, and the gaming platform of choice.

Q: How do you make a cozy gaming room?

By adding soft decor, such as pillows and blankets, plus moody lighting, you can make a gaming room feel very cozy.

Q: How should I decorate my game room?

Using posters is an excellent first step to decorating a game room. Blankets, pillows, 3D lights, and even throw rugs are available with various gaming motifs on them too, making them ideal for decorating a gaming space.