A Level Gaming Design Project

[Reckonar]

I am studying Product Design for my A Levels this year and have chosen to create a desk based around gaming as its something I enjoy.

What kind of things would you like to see on the desk. Some things I came up with are:

- Good cable management
- Headset Stands
- Controller cabinet
- PC Tower Holder

Anything Else?

[Darsithis]

Moved to Off-Topic

I would want to see a few other things:

- Mouse hole. I'm tired of my mice, and sometimes my pad, moving on the desk. An indentation to keep everything in place would be sweet
- Same thing for drinks - a place to put a standard coaster. I'm kinda OCD about that stuff
- Has to support two or more monitors!

[vizzle]

You know those things you can grab onto on the bus when you don't have a seat? It keeps you in place while you stand? I'd like something like that so I can reposition after long hours of being on the computer, and stretch my arms for a while by just hanging it there.

[Zecora]

I am studying Product Design for my A Levels this year and have chosen to create a desk based around gaming as its something I enjoy.

What kind of things would you like to see on the desk. Some things I came up with are:

- Good cable management
- Headset Stands
- Controller cabinet
- PC Tower Holder

Anything Else?

How about an enclosed space for the tower, soundproofed, but with ample air access through vents? Might be something that people want. Add a cooling system to it if you want to be really advanced!

[alturic]

Moved to Off-Topic

I would want to see a few other things:

- Mouse hole. I'm tired of my mice, and sometimes my pad, moving on the desk. An indentation to keep everything in place would be sweet
- Same thing for drinks - a place to put a standard coaster. I'm kinda OCD about that stuff
- Has to support two or more monitors!

The mouse "indent" wouldn't work unless the mouse pad comes with the desk and sufficient people like the "feel" of said mouse pad. Of all the different mouse pads I've had over the year I don't think any of them follow any sort of "standardized" size scheme.

I do agree, some sort of cup holder thing would be pretty sick.

[vizzle]

The mouse "indent" wouldn't work unless the mouse pad comes with the desk and sufficient people like the "feel" of said mouse pad. Of all the different mouse pads I've had over the year I don't think any of them follow any sort of "standardized" size scheme.

I do agree, some sort of cup holder thing would be pretty sick.

That's the obvious, though. Not very creative.

Another thing you could do -- put a place where we can rest our legs straight out. Like a little square that hangs from underneath that table where you can put your leg in to stretch it out, because having them bent all night can get wearisome.

I drew a picture for you:

[Lilfrier]

Moved to Off-Topic

I would want to see a few other things:

- Mouse hole. I'm tired of my mice, and sometimes my pad, moving on the desk. An indentation to keep everything in place would be sweet
- Same thing for drinks - a place to put a standard coaster. I'm kinda OCD about that stuff
- Has to support two or more monitors!

The mouse hole would be a tricky matter, because there are so many different sizes of mouse pads. If the hole fits large mouse pads, it looks odd with smaller ones. I guess the best way to deal with that would be to give the mouse hole a padded surface so it serves to keep the mouse in and work as a decent mouse pad.

Some fancier things that could be added might be lights above the keyboard, for those without illuminated ones, and a CD case rack for those with CDs or games in CD cases.

I guess it's all about how much you'd want the product to cost.

[Fuzzzie]

A few things. Proper height is very important. Being able to adjust the height a few cm can make a big difference in combating fatigue. Support for multiple monitors is important too.

a tonne of storage options isn't needed. most games no days are downloaded. I myself keep physical copies in boxes in a closet because I rarely have use for them.

A place to put modems and routers would be good too. I hate seeing all that crap on my desk.

[belfpala]

- A keyboard/mouse "shelf" that can be adjusted up/down and in/out. preferably with very simple, easy to reach controls so that I can reposition myself as I play, yet still maintain comfortable arm positions.

- Ample space underneath, so I can stretch my legs out (being tall sucks sometimes).

-Enough room on top for two monitors, plus a modest amount of junk that will accumulate there.

-A drink/food shelf, attachable on either side of the desk.

The original ideas you posted would all be nice too. I'd just be concerned about airflow if my tower was held inside something.

[Arrowspace]

The mouse hole would be a tricky matter, because there are so many different sizes of mouse pads. If the hole fits large mouse pads, it looks odd with smaller ones. I guess the best way to deal with that would be to give the mouse hole a padded surface so it serves to keep the mouse in and work as a decent mouse pad.

So...a built-in mouse pad? That'd be a good compromise...and make it so it's replaceable. This opens up potential future revenue, as people will have to come back to the original maker to buy replacement pads for the desk. You could have your own pad designs, or even partner up with companies that love to sponsor gamers to get their logo put on the pad.


-I agree, a cupholder would be totally awesome. It's gotta be in such a way that condensation doesn't damage the desk or get onto nearby equipment, though.
-Needs space for two monitors, and a speaker set-up.
-The place for the tower needs to be quite large, and VERY well ventilated. Fans or other cooling methods built-in to the tower enclosure would be totally neat. You'd need to design it to be appropriate for all sorts of different cases (for example, mine is a HAF 932, and it's huge). For extra awesome-points, you could make parts of the enclosure transparent, so you could still see case mods (or sponsors!). The enclosure must be easily accessible at any time.
-An optional place to rest and/or elevate my feet. I often find I'm resting my feet on my subwoofer.
-Large, adjustable keyboard/mouse area. I'm an artist that plays games, and with my limited desk space, it's very difficult to switch between my keyboard and my art tablet. To put the tablet on my desk, I'd have to take the keyboard off it entirely, so usually the tablet ends up in my lap. That's pretty awkward.
-It must be STABLE. I roll my chair around a lot, either to get comfortable, or to get up/sit down. It's scary to watch my monitor waggle when I accidentally hit my desk with my chair.
-How about a USB hub?
-A place for external hard drive(s).
-Enough extra space for accessories and junk.

[Reckonar]

- A keyboard/mouse "shelf" that can be adjusted up/down and in/out. preferably with very simple, easy to reach controls so that I can reposition myself as I play, yet still maintain comfortable arm positions.

- Ample space underneath, so I can stretch my legs out (being tall sucks sometimes).

-Enough room on top for two monitors, plus a modest amount of junk that will accumulate there.

-A drink/food shelf, attachable on either side of the desk.

The original ideas you posted would all be nice too. I'd just be concerned about airflow if my tower was held inside something.

No worries. My whole design is not inside but its outside. Its on the right of the desk on a kind of wooden stand that is attach to the desk. It can hold a high amount of weight and is preety much in the open. This gives no hassle with cables or airflow.

---------- Post added 2012-09-16 at 10:50 PM ----------

Great answers guys and gave me a bunch of ideas! These kind of answers allow me to put your quotes onto my coursework, if that isnt a problem. Thanks and keep them coming if you got any more ideas!

[Deleted]

Having a place for your drink and an extra confy table, underneath, so you can stretch your legs good. :P

[Deleted]

I am studying Product Design for my A Levels this year and have chosen to create a desk based around gaming as its something I enjoy.

What kind of things would you like to see on the desk. Some things I came up with are:

- Good cable management
- Headset Stands
- Controller cabinet
- PC Tower Holder

Anything Else?

Why not go unique ? http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/sh...&postcount=271

[Deleted]

Why not go unique ? http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/sh...&postcount=271

I swear that that desk is THE best desk I have ever seen for a setup! Only problem for me is if I get frustrated and smash my hands on desk.....

[Reckonar]

Why not go unique ? http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/sh...&postcount=271

well ofcourse either this guy won the lottery or has one hell of a job but to earn the resources need to build that kind of desk will need alot of money. I have very limited resources and cant be affording large pieces of glass, coloured lighting etc. Also it took that talented bloke about 8 months to make that. I ofcourse dont have that much time either. Though thanks for the video. Great stuff.

---------- Post added 2012-09-16 at 11:03 PM ----------

Another great thing I would think could work is a sticky note slot. A small booklet of sticky notes are always handy to write stuff down whenever needed. What do you guys think?