Videogames and Living Rooms

A magnificent specimen.

When you start a game, you have a ritual to it. What you don’t realize is that this is much older than expected. What is really interesting, is that as different as a living room can get, it has the same feeling to it. You have the TV, you have the system, and you have the chair. We have it placed for ease of use, and it really does work wonders.

The AirHockey table leaned a bit.

In our modern age, we don’t realize how standardized the livingroom has become. There is always a spot for the games, and for the movies. If we can, they are separated somehow.

A classic room that I really want to visit again.

I noticed this while travelling a bit, and I thought I would show you what it is like. The two above are considered the most modern in how we play. The TV is center of the wall. Everything is placed so that everyone can see. On the left side is movies, and on the right is videogames.

This thing is even bigger than you think it is. 

In this living room, the system and the computer do the same things. That black smudge is the computer btw. There is a chair built perfectly for viewing the screen. The monitor is center. The various items for the console or computer surround the monitor.

A much better shot that shows how we think. Although the games, and videos are hidden, you can figure out where they are.

The reason why all of this is brought up, is that this particular setup is not new. In fact, the center of the household TV has been around since the beginning.

The Dad is a bit of a douche in this picture.

You can see how things are placed, and even why from this picture. Videos are placed in the same way books were. The videogame bookshelf was next, and even then, they tried to make it look like a plasticky set of books.

Actually, there is a book in this picture.

The main chair is close enough to see the TV. In fact, even the placement of the sofa is common.

This Dad is actually being nice to his wife and kids.

But even before then, we have the radio.

I just realized the youngest boy is checking out a hot girl in a magazine.

You will notice that everyone in this family is acting about the same as they would in a modern living room. The chairs are placed closely to the radio, the children are moving about. The kid is being used as a remote. This shot is from the 1920’s, nearly a century ago.

So where did this idea come from? How did the livingroom seem to keep the same shape and type for so long? The answer is quite simple. A living room would need central heating, even without electricity. All you have to do is replace the Radio with a fireplace, and you have it. 

Circa 1860

Although things like electricity, and computers have changed the way we view the world, many things have stayed the same. The TV is placed so that everyone can see it. People can think about what they look at, and still talk to each other. Some traditions come and go, and others seem to stay even after the initial reason has left.