# Whatever happened to "rec rooms"? I haven't heard this term used in quite a while **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 11, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565 "2008-08-11T03:22:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/1 "2008-08-11T03:22:43Z")
[I saw this article](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/arts/television/10itzk.html) and was surprised by the term “rec room” as a blast from the past. Do people still have “rec rooms” like we did in the 60’s and 70’s? Does anybody use this word anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/2 "2008-08-11T03:25:51Z")
Well, they HAVE them, but I think they’re mostly the FROGs now. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/3 "2008-08-11T04:02:23Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] Well, they HAVE them, but I think they’re mostly the FROGs now. [/QUOTE] Wha? .. Help! I’ve been whoosed and I can’t get up! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/4 "2008-08-11T04:41:29Z")
Now they are called “The Party Zone”. And even _that_ is so 1980’s! ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/5 "2008-08-11T05:09:57Z")
[QUOTE=astro] Wha? .. Help! I’ve been whoosed and I can’t get up! [/QUOTE] Finished room over garage Appears regional to NC ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/6 "2008-08-11T05:32:00Z")
I think they’ve been taking over by home offices and ‘bonus’ rooms (and isn’t that the stupidest name ever.) ---
**Author:** ![Gorgonzola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e480ec/32.png) [@Gorgonzola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgonzola)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/7 "2008-08-11T05:43:14Z")
We call it the “family room.” The place where we entertain people we don’t like so much is the “great room.” I’ve often wondered what it thinks is so damned great about it. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/8 "2008-08-11T06:24:03Z")
[QUOTE=Gorgonzola] We call it the “family room.” [/quote] ding! ding! ding! We have a winner! 1960’s “Rec (recreation) Room” (often a finished or semi-finished basement (remember basements?)) morphed into the family room (for extra credit, parlor became “living room”. > [@](#): > > The place where we entertain people we don’t like so much is the “great room.” I’ve often wondered what it thinks is so damned great about it. “Great Room” tries to evoke the main hall of manors of old. What it actually means: "we aren’t even going to make a pretense of separate living and dining areas - walls cost money, and a 24x12 room looks more impressive than 2 12x12’s. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/9 "2008-08-11T07:17:56Z")
What about the drawing room, rumpus room, spare room, guest room, library, study, and the cupboard under the stairs? ---
**Author:** ![MissMossie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@MissMossie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissMossie)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/10 "2008-08-11T11:28:48Z")
My dad’s house still has a rec room. It’s the big room in the basement with a pool table and a wet bar. When I was little, my sisters and I used it for playing with our Barbies. Now, my dad is using it to build an airplane. It would make a really wonderful room to have parties and other recreational type things in. The family room is upstairs and its where we watch TV, hang out and talk after dinner, and sip coffee in the morning once we’re done with breakfast. In my mind, they are two very different things. A bonus room would be a better comparison to the rec room than a family room. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/11 "2008-08-11T11:55:20Z")
I’ve never heard it used in Australia for private homes, only for workplaces. Here, if it’s a kid space it’d be a “rumpus room”, otherwise just something like “family room”, “spare room”, etc. We’ve never used the phrase “den” here either (though I like the concept), so I’m not sure what Aussie 50s dads had. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/12 "2008-08-11T13:34:25Z")
I have a beautiful rec room with a woodburning fireplace, knotty pine walls and a bar. I use the room for storage. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/13 "2008-08-11T13:37:00Z")
[QUOTE=usedtobe] Finished room over garage Appears regional to NC [/QUOTE] I’ve never heard of it. And I have a frog! Well…not that kind. [This kind.](http://www.theanimalfiles.com/images/whites_tree_frog_1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/14 "2008-08-11T13:56:03Z")
We had a finished Rec room in the basement but we just called it the basement. The Family Room was where we had the TV and actually spent our time. The Dining Room was used twice a year for Christmas dinner and maybe one other event. The living room had the piano and “fancy” furniture and was where the christmas tree was set up. Rarely used apart from Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Purgatory\_Creek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Purgatory\_Creek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purgatory_Creek)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/15 "2008-08-11T14:01:53Z")
On home improvement shows, they seem to call them “Man Caves” these days. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/16 "2008-08-11T14:18:18Z")
We have a rec room. We interchangeably refer to it as “the basement”, “the rec room” or “the rumpus room” (the latter usually being when we’re going for maximum cheese value). It’s where we keep our TV and related accessories, including all the video game systems. No wood panelling or wet bar, which in my mind are the staples of a classic rec room, but we did put a bright red shag rug in there to make up for it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/17 "2008-08-11T14:19:52Z")
They’ve been replaced by “Media Rooms.” ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/18 "2008-08-11T15:37:23Z")
Recreation rooms were where pool tables, bars, dart boards, and cards were played. Drinking by adults done here. Adults Family rooms were for television, stereos, video games, and where family games stayed. No drinking here. All the family Romper rooms were were all the small kids and their toys hung out, to be avoided at all costs by anyone not a small kid. No drinking here. Kids ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/19 "2008-08-11T15:55:27Z")
[QUOTE=beowulff] They’ve been replaced by “Media Rooms.” [/QUOTE] Seconded. When I was a kid, a few families I knew had a ‘rumpus room’ which would have been a basement or room over the garage. It would have had a ping pong table or perhaps a pool table in it. Not too many basements where I grew up. Folks had a living room which served as family room, parlor, and den all in one. That’s where the TV was. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565/20 "2008-08-11T16:36:52Z")
The big room with the bar and pool table and seating areas seem to be called game rooms now. And yeah, if they are dominated by a big TV and surround sound, it’s a media room. They seem to be on a nicer scale than the panelled basement rec room. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-rec-rooms-i-havent-heard-this-term-used-in-quite-a-while/459565.md?page=2)