You sit down to play, and something is off. There is a glare across the screen, or a window behind you, or a light that looks great in a photo and gets in your eyes. It is easy to place lights where they look good instead of where they work.

Good lighting in a gaming room does three jobs. It lets you see the screen clearly without reflections, it makes you look right on camera if you stream, and it sets a mood that does not get in the way of either. Here are the choices in the order this guide covers them: the light you already have, where the screen sits, how to use RGB, and how to light your face. Take what fits your room and leave the rest. For the whole room, light and everything else, see our gaming room setup guide.

Start with the light you already have

Before buying any lamp, look at what your room already does. OSHA’s workstation guidance says to “Arrange your office to minimize glare from overhead lights, desk lamps, and windows.”

Here is an easy check. Sit at your desk with the screen off and look at it. Any window, lamp or bright surface you can see mirrored in the glass is something to move, shade or switch off. You can move the screen, control the light, or do both.

Place the screen to avoid reflections

OSHA’s workstation guidance suggests positioning the screen at right angles to windows so bright light does not reflect off it. It also suggests blinds or drapes on windows to help reduce glare. Being at a right angle to a window means the window sits to the side of the screen, not in front of it or behind it.

The same guidance favours diffuse, indirect light, light, matte colours and finishes on walls and ceilings, and avoiding intense or uneven lighting in your field of vision. To keep the screen from reflecting overhead light, OSHA suggests tilting the monitor down slightly. It also advises cleaning and dusting the monitor periodically, since dust buildup can reduce contrast.

Use RGB accents without distracting yourself

Treat RGB as an accent rather than the main light. One option is a strip behind a monitor or shelf. The point is the glow on the wall, not the strip itself. If you can see the LEDs directly, or if the light competes with the screen, consider moving it or dimming it. The same principle applies to accent lighting: avoid intense or uneven light in your field of view.

If you are on camera, put the RGB in the background, behind where you sit, and keep it away from the light on your face. That keeps the colour on the wall and off your face. Choose calm colours and steady lighting for the areas near your eyes. Avoid flashing or strobe effects, which can be distracting for you and for anyone who shares the room or watches your stream. Syncing lights to game events or music is a personal choice, so keep it gentle and switch it off when you need to concentrate.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for LED strips on length, power supply and installation.

Light your face for the camera

If you stream or video chat, the camera sees your face, not your lighting design. Zoom’s guide says “Position yourself so that most of the light is coming from in front of you”. A bright window behind you works against that: Zoom says “If you have a window behind you, shut the blinds.” Some people move the light slightly to one side for more shape, and others keep it directly in front for a flatter look. Both are valid, so choose by looking at your own preview.

Coloured RGB light on your face is a style choice: skip it if you want a natural look. Some cameras let you set white balance manually. For the Logitech C920, Logitech’s support page says “To manually adjust the white balance, click on the checkbox next to White Balance.” Check your own camera’s settings.

If the video from your camera flickers, a Logitech support page for a webcam suggests that you “try adjusting the anti-flicker to either 50Hz or 60Hz, based on your regional requirements”. Check your camera’s manual and the instructions that came with your lights, since the setting and what it can fix depend on the models.

Three layouts to choose from

Pick the one closest to how you play.

Competitive play at a desk. The aim is a clear screen. Put the screen at a right angle to the window, use blinds to control daylight, keep the room lights indirect and add a faint light behind the screen if you like it. Skip anything bright or moving in front of you.

Streaming at the same desk. Add a soft light in front at face level, keep the window to one side of the camera and the accent lighting behind where you sit. Check the preview at the time of day you usually stream.

A shared room or a bedroom. Keep it simple: one soft light near the desk, curtains you can close and a single accent strip you can switch off. A setup you can dim quickly is easier to live with than one that needs several controllers.

A short checklist

• With the screen off, can you see any window or lamp reflected in it?
• Is the screen at a right angle to the window, with blinds you can adjust?
• Is the accent light visible only as a glow, not as bright points in your view?
• Is the lighting steady, without flashing or strobe effects?
• Is your key light in front of you and soft?
• Is RGB behind you rather than on your face?
• Do the strips, supplies and dimmers follow their manufacturer’s instructions?

Your room does not need to look like anyone else’s.