Gaming Chairs: How They Impact Your Muscles And Performance
When we play video games, we are sitting in a chair for most of the time. However, does the chair type impact our well-being and even performance? Or is it just whatever—it's just a chair? This study looked at which chair is "best" for gamers and why. Here is what they found.
• Gamers often suffer from pain and injuries, while having around 15% less muscle mass due to fewer or no physical exercises.
• Such negative impacts may hurt gaming performance and, furthermore, stem from poor postural habits.
• The "right" chair may reduce some of these negative effects.
• The gaming was found to reduce muscle stiffness, compared to the office chair, support better posture, and players having higher performance scores in League of Legends.
• Gamers also felt more relaxed (18%), and more spacious (20%).
While gaming, we spend most of our time sitting. When we do, we want to feel comfortable. The term "sitting comfort" relates to the sense of well-being and aesthetics. On the other hand, "sitting discomfort" is related to concerns of muscle fatigue.
"... gaming chair designs are continuously being modified to reduce discomfort and prevent injuries and disorders, and ergonomic gaming chairs are continually being created." [1]
According to a variety of studies, gamers experience neck and back pain regularly. At the same time, only a minority of them engage in any form of physical exercise and, therefore, have about 15% less muscle mass. Sitting a lot without being active creates a higher risk of injuries. To make it worse, a poor posture contributes to neck pain.
Such impairments (fatigue, injury, and pain) may negatively affect gaming performance, by slowing down physical response time and endurance to play for long hours. What if these negative effects could be reduced by having "the right" chair? Today's study compared two chairs to find out. The gaming chair was a TITAN Evo from Secret Lab, while the office chair was the Aeorn from Herman Miller (see picture below).
"Gaming and Aeron chairs differ in design, ergonomics, and intended use. Gaming chairs feature... adjustable neck and lumbar pillows, allowing for a more reclined, relaxed posture ideal for extended gaming sessions... [while the] Aeron chairs have... flexible mesh for airflow and support, promoting an upright, active sitting posture suited to office work." [1]
🪑 Backseat Sitting
After playing League of Legends for 2.5h on two separate days, the results showed that:
- The muscle stiffness (MS) players experienced differed between chairs in one muscle group (the left upper trapezius). It is "heavily involved in supporting the dominant arm during repetitive actions like mouse use or key pressing, showing measurable changes in MS." [1]
- Muscle stiffness in other muscle groups were not found to be significant, but between 1.7% and 15.6% lower in the gaming chair.
- Participants preferred the gaming chair over the office chair. They also felt more relaxed (18%) and felt more spacious (20%).
- The gamers sitting in the gaming chair had higher performance results (25% more wins and 15% more kills). Although the results are not meant to be seen as causational, it may be a hint towards the importance of chairs for gamers.
🥡 The Takeaways
The "right" chair is crucial for feeling good and having less muscle stiffness (and ultimately your performance). According to the study, the gaming chair supported the dominant arm better during longer gaming sessions. The researcher suggests that the gaming chair provided better comfort and support for the specific body regions.
If you only take away one thing from this episode, let it be this: don't get a crappy chair (or mattress, shoes, or whatever). Treat yourself and your body.
And now, lean back and enjoy some backseat gaming.
Christian 🙂
