My living room still has 3 TVs but I have regrets

One year ago, I stunned the world by revealing a shocking truth. Two televisions in one space are superior to one. A third TV can be even better. And I’m back for more. No, I’m not here to discuss the addition of a fourth TV to my living room (not yet, at least, dear reader). But I am here to share the truth of the three-TVs lifestyle — and how it has, at times, made me question my decision to do it at all.

While three television sets in a single room is clearly the next evolutionary step for our species, maybe humans aren’t ready for that kind of power just yet. Maybe, when Icarus flew too close to the sun, it wasn’t the wings of Daedalus that were flawed, but Icarus himself. (It was both.

My wife and I created the modern living space. Our home has a single entertainment centre with two TVs on each wall and one smaller TV that is located above them. We have what seems like 3000 remotes all around us. The TV with the small size is connected to a soundbar. We use the built-in Roku on each TV as follows: I play on my TV, my wife on hers (on the left), and then we all watch or view a film together (on top). It’s the Triforce of living room entertainment.

Ryan Gilliam

But living with this beautiful setup hasn’t always been perfect, and I’m humble enough to admit my mistakes. In cases like this, the fault lies in people’s attention spans and not in my design. I’ve defended myself from criticisms about how cacophonous my setup must be, or how annoying the remote situation is. These are all fair points that were put out there by cowardly voices who don’t want to accept the TTTVVV lifestyle. But it’s time to break bread with you on this, internet: Do we really need three TVs?

In the past two years, I’ve noticed my attention span waning. Sure I’ve watched and re-watched many shows while playing and re-playing games. And I’ve done it at a rate that’s far faster than average, as I’m always killing two birds with one stone. But I’ve often questioned how much I’ve been able to enjoy these shows that are on in the background, and I’ve definitely ridden off a cliff or two in Elden RingBecause I became too interested in the third television.

Perhaps it’s age, or just the constant prattle of information from a million different sources, but at times I feel overloaded. I often enjoy the moments in the living room when I’m alone and I can just put on a game and ingest its story without anything else going on. It’s possible to focus for a short time on one thing and still enjoy the whole of it. Not as an individual piece like when I go to the gas station and get a soda.

But this isn’t just a three-TV problem. My dad and I were watching films together 15 years ago, when I looked at my smartphone. In the days before I had more than two TVs, I was searching for irrelevant information. I added multiple monitors for work and school years ago, all in the name of “productivity,” despite mostly using the second monitor to watch YouTube videos while I play Destiny. It’s an attention span issue, and not one that I invented. My setup is simply an extension of that mindset, and I’ve already begun to find ways to push back against it.

Over the past few months, I’ve started to evaluate which games and shows I really care about experiencing without distraction. When I’m playing a game for review, or I’m just interested in its story, I won’t play something on the top TV. My wife might be playing on another TV and she may put headphones in to listen to podcasts. Or I’ll play a less brain-intensive game while we watch a show together, eventually swapping to something I actually want to focus on once I’m alone.

Ryan Gilliam

I’ll pair playing old games with watching new shows, or I’ll rewatch a show I can quote every episode of while playing something new. When I can, I’ll watch an anticipated movie in the theater to force myself not to look at my phone, like an asshole, or give running commentary out loud, also like an asshole. The movie I watched Moon Knight without playing anything in the background — just me, Oscar Isaac, and IMDB open on my phone, as god intended. The experience was great. I also watched all of the episodes. Hell’s KitchenReplaying last year Take a deep breath of the wildWatching my wife play The Witcher 3For the 50th consecutive time. Each of these experiences is beautiful. One isn’t possible without multiple TVs, but both are possible with my setup.

My wife was delighted when I shared with her how much I loved watching it. Moon Knight Without distracting myself, I told her that there were times when I wondered if I should have three TVs. “Yeah, but it’s awesome, and you know it,” she told me. And she’s right. I don’t need a more modest setup, I just need to be adaptable with how much of the setup I’m using. We’re all distracted by something, and that’s OK. There’s no right or wrong way to absorb media that you care about. You can. Do not hesitate You must keep your eyes on the screen when you are watching Shining, one of my favorites, but if you enjoyed watching it in the background, what’s the difference? This isn’t school, and there won’t be a test following the screening.

Even with the best set of wings, Icarus can still burn. What could’ve saved Icarus — and what can save all of us — is the self control to moderate our own ambition.