Game Design : Game site Icons and different ways to start games on site !

Game Play & Game Design
#1

Hello!

I have an boardgames site on a build, my site will have plenty of Java games on future years and months.
I am currently building a kind of a frontpage to my games, i need a lobby where people can meet and start games, what kind of a graphics would be a good idea to add to frontpage ?

My quick build is currently looking a something like this following image ->

http://temp4323.dy.fi/images/Kuvakaappaus_Etusivu_001.png

I am wondering what size of images to use, these images on this current frontpage are quite a large, it may be a better idea to use smaller and on larger quantities ?

I also have thinked to add icons to left side of the screen and to right side of screen would open the chat and list of players on left choosen games.

Any ideas how to build a good and easy and fast lobby for boardgames ?

#2

I don’t think they are too big, infact I’d use bigger ones. I’d also lose the borders to put more emphasis on the images.

I’d also lose a lot of whitespace and actually having things closer. The way it’s laid out makes it look a little plain.