Now that we’re several years on from the coronavirus coming through like a wrecking ball on society, much of life has returned to how it was before. For some, however, being forced to work remotely gave the opportunity to show their employers that working from home wasn’t just “better than nothing”, but in many cases, actually better than working in an office. Many home workers have excelled working remotely and have been more productive when doing so.
I’m fortunate that remote working has become accepted in my line of work. When I remove my GrownGaming superhero costume at the end of a hard night of night fighting crime and writing video game articles, I work in IT for a website development company. I’m lucky enough to work from home 3-4 days a week, cutting down on commuting time and costs. giving me extra time and money to spend with my family. However, it has certainly changed the way that I look at my gaming setup.
My gaming setup and WFH setup are one and the same; my gaming desk became my home office the moment that I was forced to work remotely. Initially, it felt great to be surrounded by my consoles and bits of video game merchandise. It felt like a treat to be in my favourite space in my home: my space.
As the years have passed, however, I have found that my love for my gaming setup has waned significantly. At the end of a busy day, I look forward to logging off, stepping away and not returning until the next day. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my job, but when it is time to go at the end of the day, I look forward to spending some time away from it. It is part of the reason that I bought a Steam Deck: to be able to play my games wherever I wanted, but especially away from my desk.
I have tried to draw a line between my gaming setup and my work from home setup. I have a FlexiSpot standing desk (which is absolutely amazing – here is my Flexispot E7 standing desk review) and a dual monitor setup. These days, I tend to strip my desk of all gaming items when I’m working and have just a photo calendar with my family on my desk. When I’m playing video games with my friends twice a week, I put the calendar away and get out my box of gaming items. Sonic holding my game controller, Vault Boy giving me the thumbs up (you’re the best too, dude) and a few other nick-nacks. It isn’t much, but that routine helps me to block out the fact that a few hours before I was sitting in the same seat dealing with tasks for my employer. It makes it feel like my space. Sort of.
It isn’t the perfect solution, but it helps.
Working from home has changed my relationship with my gaming setup forever, or at least until I end up working from the office permanently, should that day ever come.
How has working from home affected your gaming setup and your relationship with it? Let us know over on Twitter!
