The Quest for a Cozy Gaming Setup

Cozy gaming, both as a genre and aesthetic, has exploded in popularity over the last few years, especially since the pandemic. I'm no stranger to this space; I've been a lover of cozy gaming since I started my obsession with Stardew Valley nearly a decade ago. It felt like a natural niche for me as a person with lots of cozy hobbies (reading, gardening, cat cuddling, crochet, knitting, etc.). Take a look at my history here at SUPERJUMP, and you'll see exactly what I mean; I love a good, slow-paced sim, management, or adventure game where I can get lost in someone else's world for a little while.

While I've played the games for years, I haven't really gotten into the aesthetics of the cozy gaming community, which are a major part of its presence online. Creating your own cozy gaming corner, full of soft textures and warm lighting, seems to enhance the experience and add to that escapist, stress-relieving joy found in the hobby.

So, I've embarked on a quest: curate my own perfect cozy gaming setup, complete with accessories and hardware that make me feel most at home.

The Vision

So what exactly screams...well, not screams, I suppose, but gently says, "cozy" to me? What exactly is the cozy aesthetic?

Scrolling through Pinterest, Instagram, and other online communities under the tags #cozygaming and #cozygamingaesthetic, I saw quite a lot of trends I could definitely get behind. Cozy gamers, apparently, tend to love things like RGB lighting setups (because who doesn't?) and lots of plants, as well as softer pastel shades of pinks, blues, and greens matched with lighter browns, creams, and white. These setups - usually a bedroom desk or dedicated office/gaming room - often have either a very nature-inspired theme, full of leaves and wood accents, or they're minimalist and white, with soft, cloud or sky inspired touches. Frequent inclusions are fun drinks (hot and cold) in cute mugs and glasses, soft blankets, and candles.

Also cats. Lots of cats.

I took a lot of inspiration from these setups and pondered the things I love about my space. I love space and galaxy-themed items, as well as darker natural woods and contrasting white accessories, and of course, RGB accents. I'm a big fan of long, dangling houseplants and fairy lights, and I almost always have a mug of tea or an iced coffee to hand anyway - why not get some cute drink containers to go with them? And hey, I've already got the cats to go with it!

So, here's the dream wish list for my ideal cozy gaming space:

• A dark wood desk with plenty of space
• White peripherals for my computer (and maybe a white tower case) with RGB accents
• Something space-themed to hold my controllers (also space themed, of course) and my headphones
• Space and nature-themed decor for the walls around my desk
• A cute, warm-colored lamp and nice-smelling candles
• Various plushies from games and shows I like
• Soft blankets on a comfortable gaming chair
• Fun drink station including mug warmer and cute mugs/glasses

Easy, right?

The Problems

So, I started assembling my setup! And...well, it's a lot harder than you might think it is to do this.

For starters, the practicality of my dream setup is a bit questionable at best. I have an active child who loves to hang out with me and game with me. I also have cats who adore being in my space and knocking over everything they can reach. Both of these factors mean that having anything that's pristine white or breakable on my desk - like delicate decorations or drink containers - is an absolute no-go. I can't tell you the number of times my cats have knocked my things to the floor, gotten fluff stuck on everything, or chewed on cables. My kiddo isn't the most careful either, so I'm constantly cleaning up crumbs and spills. Most frustratingly, my office is open-plan on its floor of the house; I don't have a door that I can easily shut to keep them from touching or moving things. This means that candles and plants are a definitive no for now, and glass drink containers and white peripherals are a challenge.

The next issue I face is that I simply have limited space. Our house isn't very big; as I mentioned, I have an office that's just a corner of our finished basement, with my husband's office on the other side and a communal living space in the middle. The only real space I have to decorate is on the desk itself and the two walls behind it in the corner. I also have two computers for work purposes, meaning that space on my desk is already restricted. Having all of the accessories may be fun, but it tends to require room that I simply do not have right now.

Finally, I must address the cost of my dream project. Computer accessories are notoriously expensive, especially for gaming-specific setups; a good keyboard and mouse combo could cost as much as $200 or more, depending on the brand you go with, and RGB lighting for your space, because it's currently trendy, is incredibly expensive in its own right. I want to support small businesses with my accessory purchases, but because their operating costs are higher, they have to charge higher prices for their products. I do think it's worth investing the money in quality pieces, but it's simply not practical as a working mother to justify that kind of investment during an economic recession.

These issues caused me to reassess my ideals. What I'd love to have is an Instagram-worthy setup, and maybe that was my problem. See, the setups you see in #cozygamingaesthetics on the internet are curated, selective, and often unrealistic. These creators may have been paid to advertise certain products in their space; they may have received them for free or as part of a brand deal, meaning they didn't have to invest their own money into the space and have a stake in your wanting to buy these things. Beyond that, many of these spaces have been curated over years and years of careful collection and reorganization. They're not quick-fix, perfectly new rooms that sprung up overnight, exactly as perfect as they appear. They may not even be perfect! I know I've been guilty of shoving clutter out of frame when posting; I have no doubts that these cozy gaming influencers do the same thing. There's nothing wrong with creating a space like this and posting cute pictures of it online, but as the consumer, I have to be wary of these facts and not let myself fall into the trap of false authenticity. I have to remember that it's unrealistic to have a perfect setup immediately or at all times.

Does all of this mean I need to give up on my dreams of a cozy office space? No, not at all. It simply means I have to re-evaluate my wish list and make it more actionable in the real world.

Progress So Far

There were a few things I simply couldn't have or had to rethink. Namely, I just had to accept that I wouldn't be able to have delicate, breakable decor out in the open on my desk. I love my kid and my animals; I want them to be able to enjoy my space, too. So, I've opted for metals, woods, and, in some cases, plastics for all of my decor. I did have to give up on the idea of fairy lights - anyone who's ever owned a cat will know exactly why - but I can still have fun RGB peripherals, and I'm looking into getting strip lighting that I can attach to the desk itself. I also bought something called museum gel, which is a clear gel that works a bit like mounting putty and is used in museums to keep displays secure without damaging them. This helps mitigate the issue of cats knocking things over, which is handy.

Next, I accepted that some of the things I wanted needed to be long-term goals rather than quick buys. I have a perfectly functional computer right now; I don't need to be going out and buying all new monitors and keyboards and mice just for the aesthetics. So, slowly, over time, I'm replacing bits as they need replacing with more aesthetic versions that're going to last me. I recently had to replace my keyboard (because writing for a living does tend to take a toll on it) and managed to find a lovely, affordable RGB white mechanical piece that even has adjustable light modes. While I'd love to now get a matching headphone stand with room for all three of my controllers, my current headphone stand still works just fine, so I'll wait a while before I replace it.

I'm also having fun making pieces to go in my setup! Outside of video games, I love to take part in various crafty hobbies, including knitting and crochet. I've made myself a lovely comfy lap blanket and a good, soft foot rug, as well as mug cozies and coasters that make my setup fun and colorful, and are all the more personal because they were something I made rather than bought.

Finally, I'm learning to accept the space that I'm already in as cozy in itself. I'm learning to love my little corner, full of art and decorations I already own that I'm finally finding homes for on my walls. I keep little trinkets on my desk from various adventures I've gone on with my family, and I'm leaning into the aesthetic I already have while I build the one I want. It's not perfect; it's still messy and cramped and a bit disorganized and uncoordinated. But it's mine, and it tells a lovely story about what cozy means to me.

So, have I achieved my perfect cozy gaming setup? Probably not, and that's okay. I'm going to keep working on it slowly, and I'm not going to let the internet's idea of a picture-ready desk hold me back from enjoying what I already have. When I'm snuggled under a blanket I made, cat purring in my lap, with my hands on my glowing keyboard and the Stardew Valley soundtrack in my ears, I really don't want to complain about the little things I'm missing. It's enough to be cozy where I am.