How to Reduce Glare in Your Game Room

Poker cards, puzzle pieces, board games, and D&D map mats all have one thing in common: shiny surfaces that lead to glare. You can’t bluff your way to victory if you can’t see your hand. But fear not, citizen, there are ways to fight this game night menace. Glare is often caused by overly bright lights pointed directly at a reflective surface. Thankfully, defeating glare can usually be accomplished by repositioning the objects, seating, or light sources involved.

Distance Yourself

This may sound counterproductive, but start by moving your lighting farther away. You can achieve this distance in a couple of ways: move your table away from the light fixture, change the position of your chairs, or move your lamps. Changing your table or lamp’s location can change the angle the light hits the table. This new angle may still cause a glare, but the distance should cause it to be more widespread and therefore less bright and noticeable. Alternatively, you can install recessed lighting, flush/semi-flush fixtures, or wall sconces. Recessed lighting and flush/semi-flush fixtures provide more ambient light in a room, which is easy to control either with dimmers or with a lens and covers.

Diffuse the Situation

If space is limited and moving lamps or installing new fixtures isn’t a viable option, there’s still hope. Diffusing the light is an effective way to minimize glare. If your light fixtures have exposed bulbs, use a cover or lens to diffuse the light. If your game table has pendant fixtures over it, an easy solution is to swap out current the bulbs for silver bowl light bulbs. These bulbs redirect the light back up into the fixture then outward to better diffuse the light.

Redirect the Light

You don’t need to have a spotlight pointed right at your ace of spades. If you’re playing with a desk lamp on your table, try pointing it parallel to the table or straight up anyone is sitting across from it. For taller floor lamps, switch your lamp shades to ones that point upward. This type of shade directs light up and out which provides an indirect light that can still be bright enough to show off your perfect hand.

Does your game room feel more like an interrogation room? What lighting tools are you taking into this battle? Share your game room horror stories and successes in the comments below and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest for more lighting tips.