Calyber and I have many things in common. We both got new puppies that are long and short legged, we both own the Real Ultimate Power - official ninja book, and we both recently moved. Since this was the first time I really moved my entire life out of my parent’s house, I had a TON of stuff. So When it came time to choose who would get the master bedroom in my 2 BD/2 BA complex, I insisted that I needed the master bedroom.

Unfortunately, the timing was terrible because I moved right before my big trip to Europe. I arrived home to my new place with piles and piles of boxes in my ginormous room. What was I to do with all this space?? Once laying all the essentials down, I had to decide the most important thing - where would my gaming area be? I decided to allot a comfy 8’ x 6’ space for my ultimate gaming zone and began to lay out the foundations. But since I was on a major budget, I had to improvise just a bit.

So what are the gaming essentials?

1) Gamers must be comfortable. I didn’t have a truck on the day I went to IKEA for furniture, so I ended up buying lots and lots of pillows. I splurged a little and bought down feathered pillows for extra plushness. And with my hardwood floor, I definitely needed a rug. No one likes to have a sore booty after sitting on the floor for hours.

2) Me need food. I definitely had to have an area to keep some snacks in handy. Chips, cereal, cookies, water, etc.

3) Where are all my games? A shelf was a must! I don’t have that many games so I was able to fit all of them on my shelf, which was nice. Plus I had to find a good place to display my NES and SNES.

4) The TV! Ok, so it’s no flat screen HD hi-def fancy 1080p, but like I said, I’m on a budget. Anyhow, what I’m getting to is the TV stand. You definitely need one that will make your TV a good height for gaming as well as one that will store your consoles. It would be totally pointless to have to put your consoles on the floor. This one was $15 at IKEA.

5) A coffee table (or a cardboard box in my case). I needed something low to the ground for my laptop or for eating on. I know the cardboard box doesn’t add much to the decor, but it will do for now.

Most of you are probably thinking that this is no “ultimate gaming zone” and in fact needs lots of work and upgrades. In fact, most people would probably be embarassed at my set up, but for me, I think it will do just fine for now.

and here’s the whole shabang -