this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2025
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Sometimes I wonder what the thought process behind the gaming aesthetic was. RGB (*if tunable) itself is fine and adds a nice opportunity for personalization, but are those tacky fonts, crystal-facet enclosures, and overall showiness just tasteless or do any gamers actually prefer that look?

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[–] mriswith@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Some like it and some dislike it. A lot of it can be changed or turned off anyway, so most just pick what they like.

Then there are the RBG-phobes. They talk about it like it's the devils work and seemingly get upset if other people have it in the privacy of their own home.

[–] callouscomic@lemmy.zip 15 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The eye grabbing lights and glass covers are fucking idiotic. My best builds are black towers, great airflow, minimal lights, and barely any noise. I'm focused on the game, not the machine.

The thing needs to be forgotten. It's not the center of attention. The monitor is.

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[–] dutchkimble@lemy.lol 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

My take, I was a gamer when I was young, when a 386 was gaming for me and till today when a 4090 is gaming for me, but I prefer normal looking shit without RGB. My 4090 colours allow me to set it to one shade of blue that I like, but I’ll be happy with a closed unit without any colour as well. What I would prefer, over colours, is free time to actually game :/

[–] terminhell@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Generally I'm not a fan. Personally I like cold, unassuming industrial stuff.

Something like

OR

[–] malfisya@piefed.social 23 points 2 days ago

That yellow case looks rad!

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[–] KingPorkChop@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago

My gaming computer is in an old 4 unit rack mount server case. I think there is some sort of RGB nonsense on the motherboard, but you can't see it once the computer is racked.

Fuck RGB shit.

[–] Rhodamine@lemmy.nz 32 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I absolutely love the tacky gamer look. I think that most flagship tech these days has a terrible lack of whimsy which makes me a bit sad. Look at back at the old imacs compared to the laptops that apple offers today. Look at the phones of the early 2000s compared to what's currently on offer. It's all straight lines and greyscale now. I do understand that that's a classier look, but I wish there was more out there for people like me who want something that looks a bit more colourful and fun whilst still having good specs.

In my opinion, the gamer aesthetic usually doesn't go hard enough. When my PC is turned off, it's just a black rectangle. But it's the best I can get without breaking the bank or doing something super custom.

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 days ago

To be fair, those pretty old designs produced a lot of plastic waste. The aluminum ones are much better for the environment. Still, I do miss the interesting designs, shapes, textures and colors.

got a pc with a good deal. First thing I did was electrically cut off all unnecessary leds

The only RGB I run is for my keyboard and only because I sit in a dark room and everything is black, so it can be difficult to see where the keyboard is. Back when I ran a regular mouse I also had an RGB mouse for the same reason, but carpal tunnel forced a trackball so now the mouse never moves and it no longer needs RGB.

Just purchased a new PC and was surprised it didn't play Donna Summer when I first booted it up.

[–] AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago

On a personal level, I don't like the see through towers or really basically any RGB. I have a keyboard that has RGB and if I could turn it off while also being able to see the keys properly, I would turn it off. It's currently at the lowest setting I can do it and still see the keys.

Also not a fan of the super fancy schmancy gaming mice because I'm a firm believer trackball mice are superior.

No opinion on gaming headsets other than the ones with the attached mic are stupid looking. Design of headphones and such are slightly less important to me than the sound quality, so I can let some dumb designs slide if the quality is fantastic.

[–] Mangoholic@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 day ago

I was looking for something with a nicge natural wood finish. LED is dine but no blinking fading, just a solid line without any distraction.

[–] Alloi@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

im for whatever is cheap and effective, only performance to cost ratio matters to me.

[–] JuxtaposedJaguar@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 day ago

I buy whatever’s cheapest (and has the specs I want), but unfortunately that’s almost always the β€œEP1C K1LLERZ XTREAM PRO ULTRA X” brand... Somehow adding LEDs makes it cheaper.

I just want a plain cardboard box with the specs and SKU printed on the side like I have at work.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago
[–] Flickerby@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I have a keyboard that lights up because I like to type in the dark and my dexterity isn't what it used to be but that's about it. I would've preferred a solid color but RGB was all I found. Not a bad for $20, it's a solid steel frame

Oh, right. No the "gamer ascetic" is garish as fuck. I just want something that works.

[–] deathbird@mander.xyz 1 points 1 day ago

I like some of it, but not everything. Customizable is good, but if it's all preloaded and unmodifiable then it's more a mockery of self-expression, isn't it?

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I hate those lights so much. I only want one light on my entire computer it should be right next to the on button to let me know it's on. That's it. I had that. It was wonderful. Then when I upgraded my graphics card it came with a light and now the thing glows green and I hate it. And don't get me started on the stupid Mouse.

yeah i like the gamer aesthetic atari 2600

[–] Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 day ago

I couldn't care less about the looks. I wanna game not attract gaming-mates 😁

[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

No. I turn off the flashy LED shit.

[–] Signtist@bookwyr.me 12 points 2 days ago

When I built my first computer I got a bunch of RGB and loved it, but by the time it was a few months old, I got bored of it and started to view changing the colors and whatnot as a chore more than anything, so when I built my second computer, I went without.

[–] Chronographs@lemmy.zip 15 points 2 days ago

Generally yes, though I do want it to be functional foremost. My computer is essentially a toy to me. When I press a button on my keyboard and it shoots a wave across my peripherals that is cool to me, or when the lighting is synchronized with what’s happening in game, very neat. People take themselves way too seriously.

[–] Botzo@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago

I started off with fan grills and led fans and cold cathode lighting way back when.

Now, my gaming PC, which is about due for its 5 yr update again, is in an old antec sonata case from 2008ish. I'll probably splurge on a new one next round, but if it's fancy, it will be one of those unassuming fractal cases with wood.

No lights if I can help it.

[–] lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I bought a RGB mouse a few months ago, tried it out for a few hours, got annoyed by the bright lights at night and turned off the lights.

For some reason, the Roccat software messed up and now it flashes green when clicking the middle mouse button (I couldn't even find an option in the software to make it do that), but that's kinda cool, so I kept it.

My computer is a sleeper build in an old server steel case. No RGB anywhere, and as a bonus, I can even sit on it, if I want. :D

[–] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 day ago

back in my day those were case mods. i disable that shit immediately

[–] JovialSodium@lemmy.sdf.org 16 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I am but a single humble meatbag that enjoys games and can't speak for all gamers, but I generally dislike the typical "gaming rig" aesthetic. I don't want RGB lights. I don't like ostentatious looking cases or accessories. I do find it tasteless, to reuse your term.

No sleight on those that do though. If that's your style, then enjoy it!

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[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I liked the transparent/translucent electronics trend of the 90s and early 2000s, the transparent blue PS2 and green original Xbox models were great.

The modern gamer RGB aesthetic with RGB everything and the jacked up PC cases? I hate it, I think even the light bar on the PS5 is too much. And the new Xbox, I don't even know what it's called series something, it looks terrible.

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Personally I prefer for my computer to be an unasuming silent black box that sits under my desk. I go out of my way to remove any lights that I can. RGB for computers seems like lowering for cars. Some people like how it looks but at the extremes it gets really impractical.

[–] communism@lemmy.ml 10 points 2 days ago

I don't like the aesthetic but a lot of my stuff is "gaming" branded for functionality reasons (eg high refresh rate monitor; mice with extra buttons; the mech kb I wanted happened to be gaming branded but I would've bought a keyboard with same specs and price that was not gaming branded). The gaming aesthetic is a bit weird when you think about it.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 2 days ago

I'm pretty sure the trend didn't come from nowhere, although like every other fashion most adherents wouldn't have necessarily chosen it in a vacuum.

Whether that makes the preference less valid is an interesting question of it's own.

[–] Moonworm@hexbear.net 10 points 2 days ago

I turn that shit off asap. I'll put cool stickers on my case or use a low backlight for the keyboard but otherwise why would I want a bunch of distractions from the screen?

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I kinda like RGB but not in the pulsating rainbow way how it seems to always be on marketing materials.

I like keeping it to one colour, with the intensity at half. It is nice to change it a few times a year for a fresh look.

The fonts and other stuff, I don't care that much as long as the components are good quality. Maybe subconsciously I would consider design if I had to choose between options that performed and cost relatively equally.

This is the way. I have a few presets and additionally was able to customize my keyboard to have a minimalist Pikachu be on my keyboard. I love that ish.

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