STANDARD daily edition
(eco) excentrique
standard stag thursday, august 23, 2012
Thinking Outside The Xbox
Gamers’ Dilemma
image courtesy of bananaroad posters
patrick jones
This week, I asked Kelly what she thought of when she heard the words “game room.” Her normally cheery face seemed to drop about 10 notches in happiness, as if to say “Patrick...no. Don’t go there. Please, stay away from game rooms.” To me, the words “game room” sound like such a blast: a place where people can get together and having fun: a separate venue for Super Smash Brothers and board games! ...Then I Googled some game rooms
and immediately understood Kelly’s stance. It turns out I’ve known those types of “game rooms” for a while now, and I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed hanging out in one. They’re all smoky and stale! Isn’t that what bars are for? Anyway, in most disappointments there are opportunities for improvement, so I set about trying to make the perfect new game room in the image I originally envisioned.
1. Custom Video Game and DVD Covers by JamesBit - Let’s face it, the average video game box art severely lacks any sort of aesthetic relevance (except for the ever-bizarre Katamari Damacy, of course). These covers replace the gnarliness with a classic Penguin book-inspired design, providing uniformity to a diverse catalogue.
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2. AusPen Kit from EcoSmart World - One of my favorite morbid games to play is hangman. The twist we’ve put on the game in our house is to play it with dry erase markers on the French doors in our back porch. These refillable dry erase markers will keep the game going longer than regular ‘ole dry erase markers.
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3. Pulpop Mp3 Speaker by BalanceWu Design from A+R - It’s always a good idea to have speakers in a room for any sort of communal activity, and these speakers made from recycled paper, fit the bill perfectly.
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4. World Cup Foosball Table by South Cone - My friends and I love soccer, despite not being particularly good at it. South Cone’s World Cup Foosball Table fills our need to live out our soccer fantasies without the stress and trash-talking of video gaming, or, like, actually playing sports. 5. Mixing Glass and Barspoon Set from UMAMI MART - Designed to make a perfect cocktail, this set will surely impress your friends with its beautiful Yarai weave pattern when taking a break from too much gaming.
Vinyl Record Clock