EDIT: The furniture in there is the current owner’s, not ours

What are the rooms nearby?
I really like the wood and would consider keeping it. Or at least some of it.
What don’t you like about it?
Is it too much brown for you?
Are you open to keeping some of it?

It’s the only room like that. I think it just feels really dark to me

This room appears to be on the 2nd floor. How can it be the right location for a children's playroom?

You haven't moved into the house yet. Wait to make a decision about this. You may be surprised at changes you didn't anticipate.

If it's primarily a TV room then dark is not necessarily bad for a TV room. I would not paint over that wood quite yet.

You are right, it is on the second floor. My kids are old enough not to be supervised at all times, so a second floor playroom is fine. It’s much more common to have a second or even third story playroom than a first floor playroom where we live.

I would wait and see. There may be lots of other priorities in a "new to you" home. Any chance this room might eventually become the media room as the kids grow up? The coffered ceiling looks to be quite intricate with an Asian/bamboo feeling. Do you have better photos of it? Since gray is fading as a "go to" paint color, you might consider painting the walls white and the ceiling black. Then add colorful poster art with kid appeal, changing them later to movie posters if you make this a family media room. You could also match the wall color to that in the perimeter rooms.

Paint it all the same color if you paint it, but grey or white in a room that needs brightening will just end up looking dingy. Light rugs and furniture and lighting (not just dim pot lights) will brighten the room more than alight colored paint

Wow not where I would do a playrom for sure . Maybe post a floor lan this looks like it is off a bedroom probably part of a master suite . I need more context and honestly if this is the only space like this in the house I probably would redo it to meet your needs .I think someone else could be very happy with tis as a beautiful office but not in this spot. The room makes no sense to me to be a TV room or a playroom so I need a floor plan. Aslo how old are the kids .

Here is the floor plan. There already is a lovely office downstairs. There is a wet bar separating the master, which will have both doors kept closed. The children are 7, 5, and 3. The plan is to have this as a tv/playroom for a 5 years or so and then convert the 3rd floor attic into either a big teen hangout area and make that room back into a media room. They won’t be old enough that they’d be up watching tv or hanging out with friends after we go to bed for a long time.

Unless there is a need for grandparents to have the first floor bedroom, my preference would be that room for a playroom. All the noise and toys would be confined to the first floor where family activities are centered. Mom and Dad will be nearby. The kids will be encouraged to run outside directly from inside play. Snacks will be confined to the first floor so no cookies and juice spilled upstairs. I also, as the mother of three, worry that playroom noise would be audible to anyone trying to sleep. I would build a storage wall to the right of the doorway to hold crafts and toys. Later when the teen hangout becomes a reality, that room can convert to guest room with great storage.

It’s a really difficult and important decision. Do you know anyone with Photoshop that could replicate the 3 choices, like below but “better”.