Ikea’s method is a little bit totally different. The castors on the Gaming Lounge Chair are designed to permit you to drag the chair nearer to the TV once you need to get extra into the motion, and additional again when it’s time to loosen up. And lots of the items within the new assortment have the same design philosophy.

The facet desk caught my eye probably the most. On the underside, it has two typical legs, and two on castors. Again, the desk is designed to be moved across the house, so it’s straightforward to get into the sport, but in addition straightforward to maneuver to a extra handy place when the sport is finished.

However, world design supervisor for Ikea Johan Ejdemo highlights how designing furnishings that may be moved across the house presents new challenges—and new alternatives for options. “The team has done some quite clever and unique things as well… [such as] the holder stand for the popcorn bowl, so it wouldn’t tip over.”

He’s referring to the steel rim on the facet desk, elevated barely above the floor. It not solely retains the whole lot from sliding off when shifting the desk round, however it might additionally assist stop gamers from knocking over drinks when flailing round after that Dark Souls boss drops them for the fiftieth time.

For PC players, the Gaming Station takes a special method. Inside, there’s house for a monitor, a keyboard tray, a spot to mount a desktop tower, and even house to tuck away a chair. It’s a whole gaming station that may disappear as quickly as you shut the doorways. And after they’re open, they even present a little bit of privateness.

The Gaming Room

When I first moved into my present residence, the ground plan on the positioning didn’t have typical labels like lounge, bed room, or kitchen. Instead, it was labeled based mostly on actions like stay, relaxation, and… um… nourish. It felt a little bit foolish, but it surely additionally mirrored a extra task-focused method to interested by the rooms in my dwelling.

Ikea’s method to gaming furnishings feels extra considerate about how a room is definitely used than I’ve seen shortly. I’m nonetheless not completely certain all of it should catch on. Ikea might not be using the Gamer Aesthetic™, however the firm nonetheless has its personal distinct model that you just may love or hate, however you’ll be able to’t ignore.

The concept of gaming furnishings that’s designed to accommodate lengthy gaming periods, that anticipates messes earlier than they occur, and that’s versatile sufficient to morph into “normal” furnishings when it’s not wanted? Those are design ideas that might stick round. At the very least, I do know the model of me again in school would’ve cherished that facet desk with a guardrail.