When it comes to gaming chair ergonomics, there are a considerable number of features that you must consider before making a purchase. From the chair’s structural design to the ability to adjust settings to match your body shape, choosing a gaming chair with good ergonomics is essential to your health and experience.
After all, you could have the best polling rate, the most kick-ass monitor and a PC with specifications that would make even Kratos seem mortal, yet, without the right gaming chair setup underneath you, your gaming performance will suffer over the long haul.
That’s why gaming chairs exist!
But are gaming chairs good for posture? Let’s find out! 👇
Benefits of ergonomic gaming chairs
Beyond insane features such as RGB lighting, speakers and cool liveries, gaming chairs are uniquely designed to provide an extremely comfortable sitting experience that supports your back, neck and shoulders. There are tall backed chairs, lumbar support and even X Rocker’s floor gaming chairs.
While not every gaming chair can be classified as ergonomic, most gaming chairs provide huge benefits with features that support good posture. They are designed for a sedentary lifestyle and assume you will be spending days at your desk.
Here are 6 key benefits of ergonomic gaming chairs:
- Curved Design.
- Adjustable Lumbar Support.
- Adjustable Height.
- Chair Tilt & Tilt Locking.
- Adjustable Armrests.
- Cushions & Padding.
1. Curved Design
Straight out of the design room, gaming chairs typically feature a concave design that is more often than not an s-curve. This means that the chair is moulded to form the shape of the letter ‘s’, which supports the natural shape of your spine.
An s-curve-shaped gaming chair is typically better for your posture than a standard office chair with a straight back. Therefore, even without all the ergonomic benefits of gaming chairs, the chair’s design is better for your posture.
If you can find a gaming seat with an s-curve design that does not come with a raised front lip, that is even better!
2. Adjustable Lumbar Support
One of the primary benefits of ergonomic gaming chairs is adjustable lumbar support. With many gaming chairs providing built-in lumbar support mechanisms or removable cushions that you can adjust the position of, there are no excuses not to be sitting upright within your gaming chair.
By properly aligning your muscles and spine, gaming chairs with lumber support will prevent back pain and force you to sit upright. In turn, this reduces tension and strain on your lower back region, which is an area that we often neglect.
A gaming chair with built-in adjustable lumbar support is typically better for your lower back than adjustable lumbar cushions. Cheaper gaming chairs will not provide built-in support; however, anything is better than nothing.
3. Seat Height Adjustments
Another benefit of ergonomic gaming chairs is the range in which you can adjust the height of your seat. If you have purchased a chair that does not naturally sit high enough from the ground to ensure that your knees are at a 90° angle, adjusting the height of your seat to the correct position will help ensure accurate posture.
Typically, if you are between 5’2 inches and 5’10 inches tall, you should find a gaming seat with a total height of between 42 inches to 48 inches. This will ensure that the back of the seat is tall enough and that you can adjust the height so that your knees sit at a 90-degree angle to the floor.
4. Chair Tilt & Locking
Although chair tilting is not advised for good posture, sometimes, the height of your desk and monitor does not align well with your gaming chair. As such, reclining a gaming chair can greatly assist with ensuring that your eyes are directly in line with your monitor to reduce strain on both your retina and your neck region. Especially when you have purchased sit-stand gaming desks like Typhoon’s range of gaming desks.
Through tilt locking mechanisms, gaming chairs also force you to sit in the same position when slightly tilted backwards. While some gaming chairs come with a small 5° rocking function, the majority will lock you into position to ensure that your body is comfortable and within a balanced position, despite the reclining.
5. Adjustable Armrests
An often understated benefit of ergonomic gaming chairs is the adjustable armrests. While office chairs typically enable you to move your armrests upwards or downwards, gaming chairs frequently provide 3D or 4D adjustable armrests.
With 3D armrests, gamers can move the armrests upwards or downwards, forwards or backward or tilted inwards. With 4D armrests, gamers can do all of the above while also moving the armrests closer or further away from their gaming chair.
From an ergonomic standpoint, gaming chairs with 4D armrests are the gold standard. The ability to adjust the width of the armrests depending on your shoulder width will naturally force you to place your arms in the correct position.
6. Cushions & Padding
Finally, another reason why gaming chair ergonomics are beneficial for long gaming sessions is due to the levels of cushions and padding provided. Typically, a gaming chair will come with tons of padding to soften the experience while placing cushioning in the right places to support the natural shape of your body.
When you compare this to a traditional office chair, there is a bucket load more padding with gaming chairs which makes for a highly comfortable experience. In turn, the more comfortable you are, the less likely you are to rage-quit games through being moody.
How to sit correctly in a gaming chair
Whether you have an office chair or a gaming chair, sitting correctly at your computer is paramount to improving your posture and extracting the most value out of the ergonomic features that your chair provides. After all, spending hundreds of dollars on a gaming chair with cool functions such as adjustable lumbar support is pretty useless when you’re sitting at awkward angles regardless.
Like most, you have likely overlooked the negative impacts of poor posture for too long and are starting to feel the strain when playing video games for a long period of time.
But it’s not too late to change!
By consciously correcting your posture, over time, your body will naturally assume the right posture when sitting down, and this comes with a world of health benefits for both the immediate and long-term future.
Follow these 8 easy steps to sit properly in your gaming chair:
- Distribute your weight evenly across the seat.
- Sit upright within the gaming chair.
- Relax your shoulders across the back of the chair.
- Adjust the chair height, so your knees are at a 90° angle.
- Keep your feet flat on the ground or use a footstool.
- Move your chair close to the desk.
- Adjust your monitor to be level with your sight.
- Keep your arms perpendicular to your armrests.
Once you begin to follow the steps above consciously, you will quickly fit that your body will naturally assume the right position after a few months. It takes time for your body to unwind from a bad habit. However, I can assure you that it won’t be long before you have the perfect posture, no matter what chair you are sitting on!
So, are gaming chairs good for posture?
All things considered, gaming chairs are good for posture. But only when you sit right!
While you can draw your own conclusions from this guide to gaming chair ergonomics, in my opinion, a gaming chair will provide you with everything you need to improve your posture, including adjustable armrests, seat height, seat depth and lumbar support. However, good posture starts with sitting in the correct position.
What I like most about gaming chairs is that through their structural design, gaming chairs somewhat force you to sit in the correct position, which naturally improves your posture. The same cannot be said about office chairs.
However, like most gaming peripherals, gaming chairs are not all made equally. Therefore, you must find the most ergonomic gaming chair in Australia should improving your posture be at the top of your priority list when upgrading your office.
Did you enjoy this guide? Now that you know about gaming chair ergonomics, let’s help you find the best gaming chair in Australia!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about gaming chair ergonomics and how to sit within your chair correctly? Here are the most common questions we receive about ergonomic gaming chairs:
