You may have never really thought about it too much, but game room lighting and finding the best room lighting for gaming is actually something that can affect gameplay and ambiance when playing a board game. You may find that it either seems too dim in the room, or there is a glare on cards or the board for some people at the table. If you are looking to install some lights in your board gaming area, then we have some ideas about the best lighting for board game spaces.
The best lighting for board game spaces usually involve diffused, indirect light. Bouncing light off of the ceiling, or going for bright big panels above your gaming table can create light that will be perfect for board gaming and will limit the amount of glare. The option to dim your lights is very important as you can adjust the brightness of your lights for different board game settings.
If you are looking for some new ideas for game room lighting, then we will go over everything you need to know about the best room lighting for gaming.
Best Lighting for Board Game Spaces
Creating indirect light when board gaming usually involves having a lamp or light that is directed towards the wall or ceiling and bounces off to create light for the room.
You can definitely do this, but another solution is overhead lighting where the brightness can be adjusted by a dimmer. We will go over some overhead lighting options, as well as lamps that you can purchase for your game room.
Flush Mount LED Units
Dimmable and color adjustable flush mount LED units are great for game rooms as they can create a great lighting source for overhead lighting and can be super bright when on full.
These lights will need to be installed on your ceiling, but once they are all set up, they will provide a clean, overhead lighting for your board game space.
LED Garage Light
Sounds weird to put a garage light in an indoor room, but an LED garage light may be the perfect solution for your game room lighting. An LED garage light has adjustable petals so you can direct the light to where you want it.
Like we discussed before, it is better to direct your light somewhere other than your board game table. It works best if you direct the light towards the ceiling or bounce off of a wall onto the table.
Floor Lamps
We have found that the best lighting for game rooms usually includes ambient lighting, like lamps that can spray their light upwards so the ceiling is lit, and then that light reflects back onto the room
You will see a lot of people use floor lamps in gaming rooms because they are easy to point in different directions and bounce off the wall or ceiling.
We like to go with a modern floor lamp with different color temperatures and is easily dimmable with a remote. The main lamp can be adjusted in a horizontal direction by 350° and in a vertical direction by 85°, allowing different areas of the room to be illuminated, making it great for the lighting in your board game room.
This lamp also comes with a small adjustable lamp for reading, which may be helpful when having to read the rule books to board games.
Uplighters or Torchiere Lamps
Uplighters or torchiere lamps stop the light from reflecting off of game cards and make them easier to read. These are similar to floor lamps, but this one was made for anti glare in mind.
This light does not come with an extra reading light attachment, but it will work great for pointing up at the ceiling and creating ambient lighting for your game table.
LED Downlights
LED downlights with variable angles are a little more intuitive as they need to be installed into the ceiling. If you were to go this route, then having at least three, NOT above the table but slightly outside the table perimeter angling toward the center the table will provide an awesome lighting space for your game room.
You will see a lot of these lights in homes, which makes sense because they are great for lighting in any room or situation.
Natural Light
If your game room has windows in it, then it may be best to pull up the shades and let the sun shine in. Natural light is great for gaming and will not cause any glares.
Yes, this may be hard if you are playing during nighttime or don’t have any windows in your room. But if you have windows and are playing during the day, then let the sunlight come on in!
Game Room Lighting
We hope you were able to gather some ideas to have the most optimal lighting in your board game room. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below!
