I switched to a minimalist PC gaming setup, and it rules
For years I jumped on the bandwagon of flashy aesthetics in my gaming gear.
RGB lights, multiple monitors, complex headsets and mice with 15 plus buttons were my mainstay. But I’m past that now. These days, give me a minimalist gaming setup and I’m as happy as Larry.
Why have I gone minimalist? A big part of why I switched camps has to do with the work-from-home trend. The change meant that I needed a setup I could use for my work as well as my play. I needed a clean, functional desk, and I just didn’t have that with my old gaming setup.
I made a substantial change. Now my desk has fewer items on it; I use a single monitor instead of two and instead of a mouse with more than 15 buttons and multiple levels of actuation I use a Razer Cobra Pro with five easy-to-find clicks.
Additionally, I swapped out my chunky oak desk for a modular desk and my gaming chair for a much more comfortable chair. And now, all my devices are wireless.
My minimalist setup is more than just an exercise in organization, it’s also so much better ergonomically. For example, instead of a mechanical keyboard with fatiguing keys, I now have a low-profile keyboard with Razer linear switches. It’s a lot more comfortable to type on and a whole lot less tiring for my fingers. It also has quicker actuation, so it’s a win win.
Thankfully gaming peripheral makers have embraced the trend. Companies like Asus, Logitech, and Razer have minimalist single-color peripherals with discreet branding and compact designs, so it wasn’t hard to find what I was looking for.
My minimalist gaming setup is free of distractions, too. Instead of flashy RGB lighting, I just use devices in their raw form. My mouse and keyboard still have RGB, but I turn it off in settings in the daytime and turn it back on in the nighttime, or not.
This change has been useful for my work, but it’s also been better for my gaming too. Without visual clutter I tend to hit far more targets. There’s less to distract me in the heat of battle like there was before.
Blinged-out desktops with multiple displays and RGB lights can be visually distracting.
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But it’s not just the RGB that’s had that effect. It’s the fact that I no longer have an excessive number of gadgets around me. The lack of visual clutter has brought an intentionality to my play.
It’s been shown in studies that an environment overloaded with items can cause cognitive overload and fatigue, while a clean, organized space promotes calm and focus. Just anecdotally I’ve found that to be so true.
An added benefit of my minimalist setup is that now my desk blends into my modern apartment, instead of looking like an eyesore or like it belongs at an arcade.
Minimalist gaming has been a trend on social media for a while now. Gaming influencers and social media bloggers have really pushed the idea. One point that keeps coming up in those circles is the fact that minimalism doesn’t mean “less powerful.”
That’s the case with my gaming setup too. I still have a powerful gaming rig with an RTX 4090 GPU and Intel i9-13900K CPU, so there is plenty of grunt in my system. I just now have clean lines and less bling everywhere.
For me there have also been big PC performance gains in going minimalist. I swapped out my cluttered tower for one that has much better airflow. The new case has components arranged more logically, making upgrades and maintenance easier, while keeping temperatures lower.
The decision to go minimalist has also been a cost effective one for me. I find I now spend a lot less on my gear than I used to. It’s no small point that the flashiest gear tends to be the most expensive, so I’m not missing buying all that stuff.
So, if you’re thinking of going minimalist, you should. There are so many benefits you won’t regret the decision.