Your brand new gaming setup is finally ready. You're about to start a long game of World of Warcraft when you suddenly realize something is missing; a nice light!
Lighting is essential for any respectable gaming set up. Lighting has a huge impact on your gaming experience not to mention on your comfort. So don't half *ss it !
Need some tips? Then stay with us, we'll help clear up any doubts you may have.
Why you need good lighting for your gaming setup
For your gaming room, in your house or apartment, it is very important to think carefully about lighting around your PC gaming or console.
A well thought-out lighting system designed around your gaming desk can have a big impact on your performance and also on the feeling you will have during your games (which are actually tightly corelated).
Let us remind you step by step why good lighting is so important in your gaming room.
Preserving your eyes
Our eyes are very sensitive to different light levels and to some specific color wavelength (think intense blue light).
👉 To maintain good visual health and reduce digital eye strain, you need to adapt your gaming room so that the lighting respect your eyes and does not vary too much in brightness.
If you go from the darkness of a humid cave to the bright light of a Red Dead Redemption plains, your eyes will suffer over time.
Warm white bulbs are recommended. Yellow lights are also very soothing and if you prefer a nice LED lamp.
💡 You should choose bulbs with a color temperature between 2400°K and 6000°K and for CFL bulbs, rather between 2700°K and 3000°K... for a maximum comfort.
Endurance : get less tired
When playing for hours in your game room, it is essential that the light around you is warm, in order to bring real comfort to your vision.
You've probably already seen beautiful pictures of gaming setups with soft, colorful lighting, perfectly matching the neon lights of the PC tower.
It's not just to match the two, it's also to create a light that's not too aggressive to ensure a soothing atmosphere for your retinas.
This way, you'll stay focused on the sole purpose of your gaming setup: to become the best gamer!
For streaming
Some people might want to start streaming while playing Animal Crossing - New Horizons. Well why not!
So, you'll need to think about your lighting so that your wonderful face subtly blends with the light to look like an angel in a Michelangelo painting.
The choices are plenty: Light ring, LED light strip, LED panels, smart wall light, monitor light bar, photographers spotlights, there is something for every situation.
For the atmosphere
And of course, the lighting is very important to create an atmosphere that suits you and in which you will feel good.
Here again, there is a lot to choose from when it comes to lighting your gaming room. If you are a big fan of manga culture, you can for example choose a big Japanese lettering in pink neon. You can even find design lights in the same style, like Cyberpunk atmosphere.
If you are looking for more sobriety but still for an ultra gaming atmosphere, there are different lighting models: screens, neon lights, light installations with unique design, light supports with figurines, garlands, lamps, ceiling lights in all the styles and colors you want.
The best lights for gaming setup
If you love to secretly peek into the setups of your favorite pro gamers, you've probably seen those light displays hanging above their PC poster or even those LED panels that give a personal and stylish touch to their gaming zone.
For a cool setup, there are several types of lighting that are hot right now. We've taken a look at the best of the best today to give you some lighting ideas.
LED Neon Tube
Neon lighting is making a strong comeback in the gaming world thanks to all the effect that this type of light creates. It is often found above screens or in the corner of a wall to diffuse a vaporous and soothing light.
Advantages
- Comfort: calm and soft light, which is sometimes possible to adjust.
- Offers an infinite selection of colors: perfect for finding the mood you're looking for.
- Low energy consumption
Disadvantages
- Can lose its intensity in the long run
- Neon lights can have stroboscopic effects, very distracting when you want to focus.
Light bar
A super cool solution that integrates either horizontally or vertically on your setup. It's a great option that can produce awesome RGB lights. It's definitely on the expensive side but worth the price if you are looking for something classy and versatile.
Signs / Neon signs
What's better than being able to display a glowing message on your wall? It's stylish, right?
There are companies out there that can custom make this. Or you can find some nice designs online - and a lot of them in the gaming industry.
Advantages
- Customizable
- Fun and trendy
- Choice of colors
- Diffused, subdued light
Disadvantages
- High power consumption
- Lifetime/cost ratio
Nano leafs
They are the must-have for gamers. As a staple for incredible setups, we see them everywhere. Nanoleafs are panels with different shapes (such as Hexagon light) that can be hung on walls or any other surface.
There are two types of wall lights :
Canvas
These are LED screens or panels, very often square in shape, sold in kit form. It is possible to customize the colors via a central control panel that comes with the whole kit. They react to touch and some even include music sync.
The light that comes out of them is generally very soft, warm, so not at all aggressive if you install this product above your field of vision.
Light Panel
Another model of nano leafs, the Light Panels are very often found in rooms dedicated to gaming. The set includes 9 triangular panels that can be arranged as you wish.
Benefits
- Some brands support voice commands and are connected to assistants, such as Alexa.
- Tactile
- Possible music synchronization
- Many colors
- Quiet light
Disadvantages
- Can be expensive
- Standard LED panels
Apart from nano leafs, there are other alternatives in the market of decorative and interior LED panel. Indeed, the classic models exist in different shapes: square, rectangular, discreet, aesthetic, white light, or other colors, in many dimensions.
You are not guaranteed the same performance as nano leafs, but you can easily find something that will suit you better if you really want a particular size.
Advantages
- Less expensive than nano leafs
- Offers greater freedom of size
- Choice of light and color
Disadvantages
- Ergonomics not always well thought out
Desk lamp
There are so many desk lamps nowadays that it will be difficult to list them all. In the geek world, you can find everything: from the Mario lamp to the Hunter X Hunter lamp through the ceiling lamp Charizard.
The choice of a lamp will be in adequacy with your passions and your tastes. Gamers love to install these small lights near their screens to avoid being plunged into complete darkness, which can have effects on your vision (fatigue, impairment of vision).
Advantages
- A large choice of models (gaming, manga, pop culture)
- Various colors
- Ideal to give style to your decor and gaming universe
Disadvantages
- Some companies sell these products really expensive
- Can be delivered without bulb
Flexible LED strip
Like a long, thin snake of light that runs along the floor or around the corners of your gaming room, these rgb led strip lights are interesting solutions for tuning up your lighting.
They are available in different colors and sizes. The light is not too aggressive which allows you to homogenize the desired atmosphere without bringing too much light.
Advantages of strip light
- Practical: you can articulate them as you wish
- RGB led strips can be put everywhere
- Large choice of colors
- A LED light is not very expensive
Disadvantages of led strip lights
- For some led lights models, the installation can require a little technique.
- The larger the light strip, the more energy it will take
Horus X recommandation : PHILIPS HUE Smart Lighting LIGHTSTRIP PLUS
Example of lighting for gaming setup
To illustrate our different examples and lighting proposals, we have found an interesting video to watch to give you even more ideas for your gaming corner.
Some tips for choosing your light
There will never be a shortage of options for great lighting, but the hardest part is knowing what kind of lighting you want. For us, there are three main things to remember before you start your decorating adventure:
Think about the amount of light you need: depending on the size of your room, you'll need to think about the amount of lighting you'll need. If your room is in the basement, then you will probably need more lighting than in a room with a sea view.
Where and how to place the lights: depending on the mood and the idea of immersion you are looking for, you will need to install your lights in different ways. You also have to take into account the reflections of the lighting on your screens.
Whether it is natural light or light from your lamps, you must avoid direct incidence of light towards your setup. The best is to place your lighting behind the screen or in corners to avoid contrasts and reflections... because it can bother you, tire your sight, or even worse: steal the top of the ranking!
Choosing the colors: There is currently a whole debate about the RGB color (Red Green Blue)... but the choice of the color will depend mainly on your desires and the coherence with the furnishing of your gaming room. If your gaming chair is a yellow color, then why not opt for a yellow Pikachu light?
A word about LED lighting
We would like to remind you that LED lighting contains blue light waves. This light frequency usually comes from the sun and the white brightness of our screens. A well adapted lighting allows to balance the diffusion of this harmful wave for the eyes.
Final thoughts - Best gaming lights for your setup
To perfect your gaming corner with a beautiful lighting will remain a question of color and taste. But let's not forget that light is a source of energy that acts on our bodies in different ways. It's important to feel good about the atmosphere you create for your setup.
Creating the right color ambiance is one of the many factors that will enable you to unlock your true power.
Our ideas will help you determine the advantages and disadvantages of each type of lighting so that you can spend more time on the choice of colors and especially the arrangement that each lamp will take in your super cool gaming space.
Now it's your turn to bring light into your life!
