Couples Gaming Question

[GrobbeeTrull2.0]

So, I'll be moving into a house with my fiance here in about a month, and after we get her sister moved out, we're going to turn the upstairs into the office/gaming area.

I'm concerned about logistics... she likes to game next to me, but her monitor is literally half the size of mine (I have a 40" that I play on from afar, her the traditional 20"er that she sits at a desk with).

I want to be able to sit next to her and at least be facing the same direction as her... any suggestions? I'm trying to figure out whether or not a pre-assemble desk will fit the bill for us or if I'll have to make a computer desk to facilitate.

My questions are:

1) How much space is necessary to accomodate the both of us gaming together?
-Is there any design that's best so we don't have to turn around completely away from the monitor to talk or look at each other? A gentle curved desk?
2) Desk/Room layout: Any ideas on keeping it ergonomic and aesthetic? The rest of the house has a trendy Asian (Indian/Oriental) theme, and the upstairs is "mine" and will be a more modernist style.
2a) I'm contemplating buying another "big" monitor for her, a 37". Is there any way to get these two monsters side-by-side without looking too awkward?
3) Cooling. It gets really, really hot up there (10 degrees warmer than the downstairs) in the summer. It's an older house, built during the second World War in an older "Airforce" neighborhood around Wright Field in Ohio. Wiring is a mess, air conditioning is very "set in stone"... are there any newer low-key cooling solutions that we could use to keep our rigs and ourselves cool?

I know it's asking a lot - but I think that if you can help us, I'll get some pictures of her breasts with "FOH" on them for you. She agreed to for the girlfriend thread, but I missed the train on that one. Don't let us down.

[Burf]

How do you game right now? You say you play "from afar" but what exactly does that mean? Do you sit 8 feet away and put the keyboard on your lap, or what?

[Etoille]

no breasts needed here but:

invest in fans for number 3. our gaming room is upstairs too and it still gets bloody fuck all hot with A/C a ceiling fan and an upright columnar fan - and i just have a laptop i game on in there.

with regard to 2a) only if your desk is tiered and you put them in a corner somehow.

and 1) yes a curved desk.

[Aamina]

Yeah...fans are a freaking must have. When my wife and I play anything in our huge room with the AC on it feels like we got transported to the 4th Circle of Hell. Ceiling fan, and slap one on the window if you have one.

[Sunder]

*space reserved for snide remarks once Grobbee has sufficient answers to his questions*

[Cuppycake]

The boyfriend and I just have two desks side by side, against slightly angled walls. Our chairs are right up against each other and we're close enough to play kissyface or lean my head on his shoulder or what not. Works for us. =)

[Sharmai]

I wish I could get my gf into WoW more.. She played it a few times and thought it was ok then never touched it again... Sigh..

[GrobbeeTrull2.0]

Originally Posted by Burf

How do you game right now? You say you play "from afar" but what exactly does that mean? Do you sit 8 feet away and put the keyboard on your lap, or what?

Right now, we live in seperate houses; I play laying in bed about 8 feet away with the keyboard in my lap and a wireless mouse.

Originally Posted by Sunder

*space reserved for snide remarks once Grobbee has sufficient answers to his questions*

<3

Originally Posted by Cuppy

The boyfriend and I just have two desks side by side, against slightly angled walls. Our chairs are right up against each other and we're close enough to play kissyface or lean my head on his shoulder or what not. Works for us. =)

That's exactly what she's looking for - she wants to gaze longingly at me and make kissyface; whereas I just want her to be happy and focus on tanking. Ah, the difference between men and women.

Originally Posted by Sharmai

I wish I could get my gf into WoW more.. She played it a few times and thought it was ok then never touched it again... Sigh..

Just be careful. Mine is reserved enough where she's never been one of "those" girls in a guild, and she's drama free. It's rare. She plays way more casually than I do, though, but has a 70 or two.

I was kind of looking for any more "personal" layout pics or designs or crappy MSPaints or whatever, to get a feel for it. I'm on a laptop with no mouse and my hands shake like McFly's now, so I can't provide accurate frames of reference. I think the upstairs is something like two 12'x14's seperated by a stairwell/landing.

[earthfell]

.

[Koivu]

My fiancé has the usual office chair/table set-up, but I'm a sprawler, and have adopted a ragged old couch to sit/slouch on, with a cordless kb/mouse combo. Ours are not romantically side by side set up, mostly because the room size and our differing tastes in gaming furniture. It gets absolutely hellish in here during the summer, even with every window open, so seconding/thirding/fourthing the extra cooling requirement.

[Ravvenn]

Can't believe you'd let a woman tank. Get the Ikea Galant; 2 corner pieces, 1 center piece. Enough distance you can hear eachother talking smack perfectly, but a good enough spread you'd have to get up in the event you want to throw punches. Facing eachother is weird, tell her no.

[Gauss]

You need to face away from each other in such a way that you can't see each others' screens. I have a friend that set up a "his and hers" gaming area and he used to get driven nuts by her peering over at his screen every so often and commenting. It's the little things that will get you.

[GrobbeeTrull2.0]

Originally Posted by Ravvenn

Can't believe you'd let a woman tank. Get the Ikea Galant; 2 corner pieces, 1 center piece. Enough distance you can hear eachother talking smack perfectly, but a good enough spread you'd have to get up in the event you want to throw punches. Facing eachother is weird, tell her no.

Thanks for the advice - we just got an Ikea here in Western Ohio, so we'll be checking that out.

As for the comment, I worded it awkwardly - I just want her to be happy so *I* can tank

[Aegdaien]

Originally Posted by Gauss

You need to face away from each other in such a way that you can't see each others' screens. I have a friend that set up a "his and hers" gaming area and he used to get driven nuts by her peering over at his screen every so often and commenting. It's the little things that will get you.

QFT. There's nothing more aggravating then someone looking at your screen and watching you surf the internet/game.

[chaos]

Originally Posted by Ravvenn

Can't believe you'd let a woman tank. Get the Ikea Galant; 2 corner pieces, 1 center piece. Enough distance you can hear eachother talking smack perfectly, but a good enough spread you'd have to get up in the event you want to throw punches. Facing eachother is weird, tell her no.

^ this is the setup I am planning on going with. I looked arond at several websites for other similar solutions and none come close to accomplishing the goal as this one does. The only other acceptable answer i could find is modular/cube furniture from some office supply store, and that is very expensive.