For many of us, old school gaming is not just nostalgic, it’s more than that. It brings back emotions that have been tucked away since our childhood.
So, now you’ve got your own house or apartment to fill, and at some points you must be sat thinking, “How do I create a retro gaming man cave?”. It’s natural don’t worry. I probably wouldn’t mention it to your partner or spouse straight away, but you know full well that you want to scratch that itch and re-live your childhood. And for the record, ‘man cave’ is just the common term we’re using. I actually often use ‘retro cave’ myself. So just remember it can equally be for women as well as men, of course.
Well, this is where www.kitoutmymancave.com comes in to help you. Below we’re going to list some key steps to help you create your very own retro gaming man cave. We hope it helps!
Retro games consoles
We all know what our weapon of choice was growing up. For this particular guest author it was the PS1. Crash bandicoot, Spyro, Tony Hawk. I spent way too long playing these games, especially Tony hawk. I definitely thought I was going to be a pro skater / BMX rider growing up when realistically this was never going to happen. Tony Hawk Pro Skater was just teasing me along the whole time!
I have seen that people now display old games consoles in their retro gaming man caves more as pieces of art than a machine that they actually get time to play on. I for one think they’re great and even if you can’t afford to have a whole room in your house dedicated as a man cave, you could create yourself a retro gaming display cabinet with some cool lighting as something to strive towards.
Retro arcade machines
If, like me, you grew up playing on old arcade machines at the bowling alley or old school arcades down by the seafront, then you’ll appreciate how much fun it is to stand at a machine and play through levels of an addictive arcade style game.
When I was younger it was Pac-Man and Space Invaders and then as I got older it was Time Crisis, Final Fight and some more fun Resident Evil arcade games that were all-singing, all-dancing.
Whatever your favourite game was, there’s now many different ways you can have your own arcade machine in your home. You can buy a plug and play device that connects up to your TV which aren’t very expensive, and some of these offer a list of games instead of having just one to pick from. However, if you’re creating an old school man cave and you want it to feature a proper arcade machine then expect to fork out over $2000 for a good machine.
Retro decor
Because of the love for everything retro, recently there are so many options you can choose from when looking to kit out your man cave with some retro decor. First of all if you really wanted a legit arcade experience you could carpet your room with UV black light carpet that shines neon when you turn on a UV light.
For decorations, especially where retro gaming is concerned there has been an influx of old school favourites being re-made into mugs, wall posters, vinyl stickers & figurines aimed towards the old school gamer. Lots to choose from here to decorate your room.
Again, even if you’re not blessed with space and can only create a small area to call your own, why not fill the walls with your favourite movie posters, video game adverts or artwork from retro artists. As well as the original artwork from the 80s and 90s there are lots of people now creating homages to the bygone era in very cool retro inspired designs. And if you have any original carded toys or action figures, they look perfect hanging up on a peg.
Where can I buy retro gaming stuff?
Amazon is of course a great place to get lots of things you need and a lot of the items above are available on Amazon and can be shipped to you the next day. However, we’ve recently started looking at all of the cool retro-inspired things that people are making on Etsy.
If you want to make your retro cave stand out from the crowd then Etsy is a massive marketplace now full of more than just little craft projects. You can get things like an entire coffee table shaped like an old school Nintendo controller and there are thousands of sellers of retro and old school gaming merchandise that you can buy to kit out your very own man cave. Well worth a look.
But obviously if you’re buying actual relics from the 70s, 80s and 90s then eBay is a goldmine. Just be aware, however, that prices are rising all the time as everyone is becoming savvy to the popularity of retro.
To wrap up
I really hope this has given you some inspiration to start to kit out your own retro cave, especially if you’re looking to scratch that itch of creating a space dedicated to retro gaming. It’s a personal favourite of mine and I for one think there should be more retro gaming around today.
Jack from www.kitoutmymancave.com.