(Topic ID: 146238)

What is the best lighting to have in the game room?

By defiant1

8 years ago



Topic Stats

  • 10 posts
  • 9 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 6 years ago by fairwinds
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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#1 8 years ago

I have CFL bulbs installed in the room where the pin is sitting. The lighting is in the center of the room and casts shadows over the game. I am looking for suggestions on what I can use to eliminate this issue.

d1

#2 8 years ago

I have three types of lighting in my gameroom that is 1,800 square feet with 10' tall ceilings.

1. Overhead fluorescent lighting (rarely used) when working on games and for general lighting when cleaning. Off when playing.

2. Indirect wall sconces (cove lighting) at 8' that indirectly light the space by reflecting lighting off the ceiling that provides a warm glow in the room. These lights are on when playing.

3. Low voltage track lighting with adjustable heads behind the player's back. These light up the aisles between the games. These are on as well when playing. I think I have 4 runs of LV track so about 40' total and each track has 5 or 6, 35W MR16 lamps that can be moved and aimed to throw the light where you want.

Stand at your game and look at the reflection of the ceiling from the playfield glass. That is the location in the ceiling where you don't want light fixtures. Being able to dim the lighting is a nice touch as well. There is plenty of lighting cast from the games that not a lot of extra ambient room lighting is really needed.

Indirect lighting from the ceiling provides a nice dispersion of light. You can always buy floor lamps that have a way to switch it to all up light. Put one in each corner of the room and turn on just the uplight portion. This would be easy to do without adding lights in the ceilings or walls.

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#4 8 years ago

I installed recessed lighting in my gameroom. I used to use CFL bulbs in the fixtures, but then I changed over to dimmable LEDs since I heard somewhere that florescent bulbs give off a decent amount of UV light, and I didn't want that factor to fade the paint on the games. I'm not sure how true that is, but I really prefer the light given off by LEDs anyway--plus they're efficient. I try to arrange my games so that the light fixtures align between each game so that I can eliminate as much glare as possible, and being able to dim them gives the room a "smoky bar room" vibe when I'm in the mood.

#5 8 years ago

My preference:

Overhead fluorescents when working on games.

No light or just assorted neons on when playing.

#6 8 years ago
Quoted from defiant1:

I have CFL bulbs installed in the room where the pin is sitting. The lighting is in the center of the room and casts shadows over the game. I am looking for suggestions on what I can use to eliminate this issue.
d1

Diffused shades may help a little bit if you are unable to add lamps or install any other lighting.

#7 8 years ago

I'm in the process of building my game room right now and chose to go with track lighting that can be dimmed located behind the players. I figure having it behind the player, being dimmable and adjustable would allow me to keep it from casting any glare on the machines. But then again, I doubt I'll need more than a bunch of pinball machines turned on to light up the room.

#8 8 years ago
Quoted from schudel5:

I have three types of lighting in my gameroom that is 1,800 square feet with 10' tall ceilings.
1. Overhead fluorescent lighting (rarely used) when working on games and for general lighting when cleaning. Off when playing.
2. Indirect wall sconces (cove lighting) at 8' that indirectly light the space by reflecting lighting off the ceiling that provides a warm glow in the room. These lights are on when playing.
3. Low voltage track lighting with adjustable heads behind the player's back. These light up the aisles between the games. These are on as well when playing. I think I have 4 runs of LV track so about 40' total and each track has 5 or 6, 35W MR16 lamps that can be moved and aimed to throw the light where you want.
Stand at your game and look at the reflection of the ceiling from the playfield glass. That is the location in the ceiling where you don't want light fixtures. Being able to dim the lighting is a nice touch as well. There is plenty of lighting cast from the games that not a lot of extra ambient room lighting is really needed.
Indirect lighting from the ceiling provides a nice dispersion of light. You can always buy floor lamps that have a way to switch it to all up light. Put one in each corner of the room and turn on just the uplight portion. This would be easy to do without adding lights in the ceilings or walls.

All great info. I believe for now I am going to get a ceiling lamp that directs light up towards the ceiling instead of straight down. I also will add ambient light near the machine as well. Thanks for the advice.

#9 8 years ago

I've found with the ceiling lit (from indirect) creates a glare on the playfield glass as it reflects the ceiling. Likely less of a problem the higher your ceiling is.

1 year later
#10 6 years ago

Not really quite the same topic, but I visited Token in Dublin (IRL) at the weekend, and they have 8 pins downstairs, in a small room. There is no lighting as far as I could tell, outside of the GI. I found it really hard to see the playfields. I played Funhouse for a brief period and lost the ball almost immediately, about 20 times in a row. I just couldn't see it coming down the LHS of the playfield and it drained immediately. The backbox lights and DMD both reflected on the playfield glass and made it almost impossible to see. Which explains why no-one else seemed interested in playing that particular game.

The room was specifically designed for pinballs, so it seems odd that it should be so dark. Just curious what other people think. For my own machine, I keep the lighting strong but subdued, so you can see the playfield. I dim the lights until the GI is no longer washed out, and then dim it a little more. Maybe it's personal preference, but I find it really hard on my eyes when I'm peering through the gloom to see the action.

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