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Tired of sitting around in a chair that bugs you more than it provides you with a comfortable sitting position? Maybe it’s because it has a stern back or an uneasy seat, maybe it’s the design. But it’s quite obvious that a lot of the chairs around are nowhere near comfortable enough to be sat in for long durations without feeling uneasy in them. There are several categories of chairs in the market. Every type of chair has its own little niche and gaming chairs aren’t without their own. They’ve grown a considerable market in the comfortable furniture department and rightly so. So if you’ve found yourself asking the question “Are gaming chairs more comfortable?”, the answer is pretty easy.
Yes, gaming chairs are very comfortable chairs. They’re designed to keep the user comfy and provide them with proper posture for long durations. They’re also very customizable depending on which chair you buy.
And here’s what’s right about gaming chairs that you may not find in other chairs.
Are gaming chairs more comfortable?
Let’s discuss all the specific reasons that separate gaming chairs from your regular chairs, and exactly why a gaming chair is far more comfortable for regular.
Ergonomics and posture support
Did you know that according to the American Chiropractic Association (or the ACA):
“A recent global survey of health conditions identified back pain as the single most disabling condition worldwide.” and
“Experts estimate that up to 80% of the population will experience back pain at some time in their lives.” -ACA Today.Org
That’s coming to you from the website of the largest professional body of chiropractors in the United States. Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health such as back pain, etc.
The rise in the cases of back pain is by no means an unexplained mystery to medical professionals nor even to a common person. Our lifestyles have obviously changed in recent decades. One of the effects of that change is a more sedentary lifestyle. Most employees spend a majority or a large proportion of their time sitting down. Whether it’s looking at reports or watching presentations, attending meetings, or any other major aspect of the typical office routine, it all involves some form of a sedentary position. And since our lives have taken a turn towards more of a physically inactive routine, our bodies haven’t failed to manifest the effects. Obesity and postural disorders are the direct results of this phenomenon.
Fortunately, though, the need for innovation has given us great solutions to choose from in order to fight against the threat of rapidly degenerating posture and its harmful effects on our bodies. Manufacturers have-since not too long ago-started focusing on the ergonomics of their products especially the peripherals of office workstations. The chairs that might’ve been commonplace some decades ago are no longer the best option. And that doesn’t just apply to the office, it applies to every living situation where you have to sit for long durations including watching TV and studying, etc.
Gaming chairs are typically built with ergonomics in the foundations of the design of the chair. They do not hero plank-like, straight and hardbacks nor armrests that are prone to blocking blood flow. They’re built to accommodate the typical posture of a person and to provide a sitting position that tends to bolster or support a healthy posture rather than make it degenerate. A damaged posture can be the result of a sitting position that had been tolerated for too long and in such a case, recovery -though possible- isn’t a bed of roses.
Gaming chairs often come with a wide seat and a back-rest that isn’t plank-straight but that has a curvature to it. The back-rest combined with the neck and the lumbar support pillows helps to provide a seating position that’s in agreement with a healthy and natural build of the body. As we’re going to discuss below, they also feature adjustable armrests, the ability to tilt (as in rocking in a chair kind of tilt), swivel (or going round and round), and reclining (if you ever begin to think that you might’ve been better off with a bed or a couch). All these features make gaming chairs extremely good choices for an ergonomic set-up.
A ton of functionality
The first time you look at a gaming chair, it might flare up that old pre-conception of everything that has ‘gamer’ attached to its title. As with a lot of computer gaming peripherals, gaming chairs too have a hint of flashy flavor to them that seems to sit so well with gamers especially of the younger generation. But don’t be deceived by a gaming chairs’ racing stripes or its combination of flamboyant colors. Good gaming chairs carry a lot of functionality with them even if they look eccentric.
Recline, Tilt, and swivel
As mentioned above, gaming chairs often give you the option to recline (which can go almost or even completely horizontal), tilt, and swivel.
You can use the recline function to have a few minutes of rest after an online lecture or after finishing working on your set-up. You could take a little nap before you get back on the horse (or chair in this case).
The swivel function is great for people that have their computers set-up in the corner of their room so they can turn around (and round and round) whenever they want. As for the tilt function, if you’ve ever been in a chair that rocks (not that way), you might be aware of what bliss awaits you when you get home to sit in a gaming chair that can lean back.
All these features add flavor as well as functionality to a good gaming chair that other types of chairs just might not have.
Armrests
They can have 4D armrests which means they can be moved
- Up and down
- Back and forth
- Left and right
- Inwards or outwards by rotation
These armrests can have paddings and gaming chairs can provide great comfort and support for your arms and elbows since they’re so user-customizable. They’re also often large so they should easily be able to accommodate your forearms and even your elbows.
Other types of armrests are 3D and 2D which, as the name suggests, tone down on the number of planes you can move the armrests in. They are however still more adjustable than the non-adjustable armrests that you find on a generic chair.
Seat and back-rest
As for the seat and the back-rest, the most important parts of the chair, they don’t get overlooked by the manufacturers. Gaming chairs often use firm or high-quality, high-density foam that doesn’t degenerate as fast as normal foam does. This makes a lot of gaming chairs not too soft but not too firm either, which makes for the optimal sitting position. This also enables the chair to be able to support the natural curvature of your back/ spine. A lot of gaming chairs also feature neck and lumbar pillows to supplement the posture friendly designs of their chairs. Depending on the chair, even these pillows can be customizable i.e. they can be raised or brought down on the back-rest to help achieve the optimal posture support for your body.
As for the seat itself, a lot of gaming chairs also offer customizing the height of the seat and some gaming chair bases also support weights up to 2000 lbs! That’s besides featuring customizable armrests, neck and lumbar pillows as well as the ability to tilt and recline. Combine all that and you get a chair that is very much flexible to suit your body’s specific needs at any given time. Just make sure you’re within the manufacturers’ recommended height range as anything above or below it can prove to be white regrettable.
Build quality and durability
Gaming chairs can range from anywhere around 150$, like a gaming chair from GTRacing, up to around 600$ for the more premium chairs from brands like SecretLab and Noblechairs.
The quality of what you get depends on the price. A cheaper chair, say from a brand like Homall will probably not be quite as comfy or as good as a SoftWeave edition chair from SecretLab. But most gaming chairs that have earned their spots like the new Razer Iskur or the Secretlab Omega aren’t something you should be thinking twice about when it comes to the quality of the products. They should easily last longer than normal chairs might while providing a consistently comfortable sitting experience.
Good gaming chairs often feature foam material that doesn’t degenerate too quickly and that is long-lasting with consistency. Different brands pack their chairs with different densities and different types of foams so some might appear to be more firm than others while others might go with something much softer. Keep an eye out for the sort of material that’s best suited to you and don’t compromise on quality unless you have to. A good gaming chair should last you long enough to pay-off the investment that you make when you’re buying it.
As for the skin, gaming chairs often come in skins of PU or polyurethane leather (a kind of faux leather) and sometimes even in real leather. Real leather, of course, costs more but if you want to go with that premium feel, you can do that with a chair from Noblechair’s Real Leather editions. And if you’re looking for something extra comfy, you can go with the new SoftWeave trademark fabric covering from Secretlab which is cooler, comfier, and more breathable than standard leather skins. The quality of the material used, once again, depends on the price but you can get some very pleasing products if you’re willing to spend some money on them.
Granted, some chairs might be more of an investment but once you start reaping the benefits of a good gaming chair especially if you’re coming from a non-ergonomic chair, you can be assured that the investment will be quite worth it.
Conclusion
So if you’ve indeed been asking yourself “Are gaming chairs more comfortable?”, gaming chairs that are built with ergonomics and posture support in mind. The best gaming chairs can help develop and retain healthy posture not just while you’re sitting but also while you’re standing. And in a world where, gaming chairs seem not only to be a very comfy choice but also the healthy choice, especially in the long run.
