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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[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 64 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (6 children)

Guilty as charged.

Edited to add, this is actually a slightly old picture. I have a white GPU now.

[–] felsiq@lemmy.zip 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
[–] felsiq@lemmy.zip 10 points 1 week ago

Did I just voluntarily watch an ad? Worse, did I just kinda enjoy an ad??? You have me spiralling here lmao

[–] 200ok@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

She's a beaut!

[–] 2xsaiko@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst-ass computer (agree, it looks great!)

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[–] liquorisquicker@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Needs a few of these little guys!

[–] Gaja0@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This is how I feel about gamers acting pretentious about RGB aesthetic. Neon tetra are sick. It's great they can enjoy minimalism, but let others enjoy RGB vomit. It's like the weirdest flavor of elitism.

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[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 54 points 1 week ago

No, RGB is annoying and gets disabled if I have no other choice. It's cheap and tacky looking. Basically anything marketed as 'gaming' in my eyes is sub tier garbage.

My overall view on all products, not just gaming stuff if the more buzzwords and slogans and whatnot a company uses, the less I give a crap about them and will actually actively avoid it. Just means they spend more on nonsensical crap then the actual product.

In short; More marketing budget = less quality product

[–] terminhell@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 1 week ago (5 children)

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

Something like

OR

[–] malfisya@piefed.social 15 points 1 week ago

That yellow case looks rad!

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[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 39 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I would prefer basic, subtle, black. I don't want rainbows and lights. I'm very function over form.

I'd also rather play a game on medium settings where it runs flawlessly and doesn't make the fans go hard, than at high settings with worse performance.

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[–] Rhodamine@lemmy.nz 25 points 1 week 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 7 points 1 week 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.

[–] Ougie@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think the industry still thinks their target audience is 12 year olds. It's evident also in the aesthetic of the games they make. That being said I am seeing a slow change for the better. If only I could say the same about the prices...

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I would like it if it was subtle, maybe a few thin rgb lines around the main board like traces, and something similar on other components.

I hate the everything blaring random lights look, its like a kids attempt to draw attention, it works but when you look you wish you hadn't.

[–] callouscomic@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 week 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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[–] Chronographs@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 week 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.

[–] 5in1k@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 week ago

I hate it. I resent that I have to get an app to turn off the horrible lights in the computer and peripherals.

[–] Botzo@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week 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.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm over 30, but even when i was in my early 20s I couldn't stand the blaring lights. A HS friend built up a rig with full flashy RGB shit and I was like "why?" - He thought it was cool, possibly still does.

I mean, I'm supposed to look at the monitor, not the fan or the mouse. Keyboard blacklight is good, tho, so long as it's not red nor a dancing rainbow. Yellow or white are the best kb backlight imo

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[–] Core_of_Arden@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Some gamers do. Like most humans they are attracted to bright, flashy patterns of colors. (most animals actually are). But most mature gamers I know, would rather put some money in better equipment, than flashy colors. So, gamers are as different as the rest of us. Some are caught by the hype, some are not. You see it in cars too. Some like bling, som focus on the actual car.

Me? I like RGB in my keyboards backlight. I don't like it to flash, but I like to make it an orange/reddish color, because that's easy on the eyes, when using your computer at evenings or nights. That's about it.

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[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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.

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[–] JovialSodium 12 points 1 week 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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[–] LinyosT@sopuli.xyz 11 points 1 week ago (3 children)

The wonders of marketing making people believe that RGB vomit is desirable.

The only LED i care about is white.

White... supremacy?

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[–] eneff@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (2 children)

I spent extra to not have any components with RGB. The only lighting I find tolerable is white (!) LEDs.

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[–] CanadaPlus 9 points 1 week 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.

[–] Mangoholic@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 week 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.

yeah i like the gamer aesthetic atari 2600

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

I was into it in the early days but got over it quickly. Now I want the opposite and minimize attention my PC draws to itself. Its just pointless and kind of annoying. It was impressive back when it was new and challenging but now its just an element of marketing, and one that I've come to strongly dislike in my builds.

[–] Flickerby@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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.

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.

I appreciate the gamer aesthetic when scientists need to buy gear with the power to run scientific calculations for relatively cheap. The RGB lights under the case windows bring a bit of pizzazz to the laboratory.

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

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

[–] JuxtaposedJaguar@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 week 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.

I bought RGB crap once. It stayed on while the PC was in standby mode. Never again.

[–] communism@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 week 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.

[–] Tinks@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Yep. I'm the (apparently minority) weirdo that LOVES the rainbow vomit lights. I have lights everywhere on my computer and desk and it brings me so much joy. It just feels happy to me to have the bright rainbow colors slowly shifting. I find it delightful and will pay extra to ensure devices are not only rainbow capable, but are the right type of rainbow (slow shifting) that I love. My side of our gaming office drives my husband nuts. I regret nothing!

[–] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 7 points 1 week ago

i do

end of story :)

fun fact: the chinese nicknamed RGB lighting as "light pollution"

[–] Shape4985@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I dont care much for RGB in everything.

[–] Signtist@bookwyr.me 7 points 1 week 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.

[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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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[–] MissingGhost@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 week ago

I've been a PC gamer for 32 years now. I do enjoy having a clear side panel. I've had one for 22 years. That way you can show off whatever you have inside. I don't use RGB or any kind of lighting. I just think clear electronics are cool, you can see how they are made.

[–] Moonworm@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week 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?

[–] Fecundpossum@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

I think it’s pretty normal for people to want their high end thing to look high end, or whatever high end looks like to them. My PC case is basically a black rectangle with a single pane of glass on one side. It has some rainbow vomit lighting inside that isn’t all customizable with Linux, but my razer mouse mat, mouse, and keyboard all glow a lovely purple, just one static color. My desk, peripherals and case all match in black, so really any color I choose to run with makes for an easy vibe change.

I think maybe a half a dozen people have even seen my pc setup, and I don’t really take visitors back there, so whatever cool looks my setup has are just for me, and I enjoy it.

That said, there is a such thing as it being too busy, too gaudy, etc, so I totally get what you’re saying. My shit is lit up but I still feel like it’s fairly subdued.

[–] nieminen@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

I think it looks kinda cool, but it's also what everything else is. So the cool factor is a tad diminished.

I'll grab whichever option is cheapest for the specs I need to hit.

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

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

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