There’s a shift happening in the world of luxury. The wealthiest individuals—those who’ve spent decades accumulating everything money can buy—are no longer interested in more. What they want now is better. More refined, more personal, more rare. And nowhere is this more evident than in the rise of the high-design game room. We’ve seen it firsthand. At 11 Ravens, we don’t just build game tables—we work with clients who think about luxury at a different level. These aren’t people looking for another expensive thing to own. They want something with presence, something interactive, something that transforms a room into a destination. What was once an afterthought—the billiards table in the basement, the foosball table left for the kids—has become a focal point of billionaire living.
The New Status Symbol: A Game Room That Costs More Than a House
Among a particular set, exclusivity isn’t just about what you own but how it’s made, how rare it is and where it sits in your space. And that’s precisely why game tables have become a new frontier of high design. Some pieces we create cost more than a Bentley Bentayga or a Miami penthouse down payment—not because of excess for excess’s sake, but because the details matter at this level. For example:
A client provided an inspirational image of a snake, and we created a custom poker table with the snake embroidered in leather on the top.
We’ve made personalized plaques featuring family emblems, initials, and notes for loved ones.
We designed a custom ping pong table top for a professional athlete with their jersey number.
We’ve incorporated imagery such as koi fish, initials and personal messages into the plank of a shuffleboard table.
In collaboration with Brentano, we used their wallpaper design as a layered detail on our Arclight Ping Pong Table—this can be customized with any design, including text like a poem or meaningful quote.
For our clients, the experience is everything. It’s not just about having something beautiful—it’s about creating an environment where competition, skill, and conversation take precedence over digital distractions.
Where the Ultra-Rich Play
If you really want to understand how luxury game tables have evolved, look at the spaces where the elite actually spend time. These tables aren’t hidden away in some forgotten corner of a sprawling estate—they are centerpieces in the world’s most exclusive clubs, hotels, and private residences.
At Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace, we created a luxury Arclight ping-pong table that sits on the outdoor deck of the Executive Villa Suite, where some of the world’s most influential guests stay.
For Neiman Marcus at Hudson Yards, we designed custom foosball and arcade games, a nod to the way high-end shopping is becoming more interactive and more experiential.
At the Oppenheim Group offices in Los Angeles and San Diego, featured on Selling Sunset, our bespoke billiards and shuffleboard tables aren’t just there for looks—they’re actually played on in a space where multimillion-dollar deals are made.
This isn’t about games. It’s about social hierarchy. The right table in the right room signals status, taste and access.
The Psychology of Play in a World That Has Everything
Here’s what fascinates us: why game tables? Why now? In speaking with clients, we hear the same themes emerge repeatedly. They are tired of passive luxury. They don’t want to sit in front of another screen, surrounded by people who aren’t actually present. A game room forces interaction. There’s a reason why some of the world’s most powerful people prefer to negotiate over a poker game rather than in a boardroom—it creates a different kind of dynamic. When you step up to a billiards table, you’re no longer your title or your bank account—you’re a player, engaged in a game of skill, strategy and psychology.
At a certain level of wealth, there are no more impulse buys. Every object in a space has to justify its existence. A handcrafted foosball table in an oceanfront Malibu estate isn’t just there for show—it’s an invitation, a conversation piece, a quiet indicator that this home was designed for experience, not just aesthetics.
The Future of High-Stakes Entertainment
This is not a trend—it’s a fundamental shift in how luxury spaces are designed. More and more, we see dedicated game rooms replacing formal dining rooms. Why? Nobody wants to sit at a table set for 14 with people checking their phones between courses. They want an interactive, competitive, deeply social experience—one that pulls people in rather than allowing them to tune out. We’ve worked with clients who designed entire entertainment wings around their game tables, making them the heart of their home, their yacht, or their private club. Because in their world, real luxury isn’t about collecting—it’s about curating the perfect experience.
And nothing does that better than a game table that’s as rare, custom and compelling as the people gathered around it.
