Finding the right gaming chair that fits your body may not look as if it is a priority, but then again it has been proven that being comfortable while gaming increases your positive gaming experience, productivity and has an impact on your physical health in the long term.
Table of Contents
- 1. Does the Chair fit you?
- 2. Do you sit on the gaming chair for most of the day?
- 3. Does the Chair properly support your lower back?
- 4. Are you able to adjust the armrest without any interference with your desk?
- 5. Are you able to adjust the backrest to a suitable position for your back?
- 6. Are you able to adjust the height of the chair?
- 7. What material is the chair made of?
- 8. Are you able to lock and unlock the chair so that it reclines?
- 9. Does the chair have the right number of castor/wheelbase base?
- 10. Does the chair have enough depth to support your legs?
Many gamers, and/or people who work from home or remotely lack the necessary tools they need to feel at ease whilst gaming or working from home. With 58 percent of majority of people having some kind of office or gaming chair, 27 percent using dining chairs as well as 15 percent working whilst sitting on their sofas and beds, that is quite a very uncomfortable way of gaming or even working from home, and this can affect your daily life.
When gaming and you are not sitting on a comfortable gaming chair that provides adequate support to your body, this may affect your gaming experience and you may experience back pain. At the same time, this could affect how you sit in front of your computer monitor as well as could cause neck pain if the height is not adjusted correctly.
When looking for a new gaming chair, keeping these top 10 tips in mind should be considered a top priority. These tips will provide you with the information you need to make the best decision for your gaming chair.
1. Does the Chair fit you?
Inadequate room for your hip could make you to want to sit too far forward on the seat pan, resulting in your thigh and hips not being supported appropriately.
The seat pan on either side of your hips and thighs should be at least one inch wider than your hips and thighs when you sit in the chair. When finding a gaming chair, the best advice is for you to make sure it is well adjustable.
The ideal fit for your gaming chair in parallel to your desk is determined by you, your height, size and body weight, and some other factors personal to you that you may want to consider. Imagine working into a departmental store and trying different types of clothes? That is how it works when it comes to gaming chairs. When you have the opportunity to try out various gaming chairs, then feel free to try it on.
Being able to adjust or change the height of your gaming chair and being able to move the chair around would enable your find the perfect location around your home dedicated for your gaming activity or if working from home.
Moreover, Low-back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and shoulder rotator cuff strain are some of the issues that could all be caused by sitting in a chair that is too low or on a chair that is not suitable for you.
Furthermore, Golfer’s Elbow, which is pain and inflammation on the inner side of your elbow, may grow if the chair is set too high. Injury from poor desk posture can cause serious problems too.
2. Do you sit on the gaming chair for most of the day?
Continuous use the seat pan of a gaming chair made of low-density foam could make it to become deformed permanently and no longer provide the required cushioned support for the body.
Insufficient padding and cushion support of the gaming chair could result in imbalance of the body when sitting, fatigue of the back and hip, as well as body pain.
People should consider sitting on the chair for a short period, perhaps a few days before deciding how comfortable it will be for them in the long term.
3. Does the Chair properly support your lower back?
With an adjustable lumbar support, you can customize your chair to suit your lower back. This is especially important if you want to prevent back strain or other long-term injuries.
Several gaming chairs have cushioned lumbar supports that could be adjusted accordingly. The adjustments could be either forward or backward to fit the structure of their lower back, up or down and/or that are curved. These supports could be adjusted a lot of times if the same gaming chair are being used by a number of people.
However, if the chair will be used by only one primary user, then it might be suitable to have a fixed lumber support with a fixed height that feels comfortable as the primary user leans their back against the gaming chair.
4. Are you able to adjust the armrest without any interference with your desk?
The arm support of a gaming chair should be balanced. Your arms should comfortably rest at an angle of 90 degrees along the sides of the body.
Without adequate support to the arms, the chances are that the shoulders would hunch over, thereby causing pains to parts of the body such as the spine and neck.
The arm support on most gaming chairs should be easily adjustable. You should be able to change the height and width of the armrest to enable you easily move your arm around when gaming.
When adjusting the arm support, the way you adjust it should fit the width of your body; you could decide to move it further apart or closer as it fits your style.
You should also consider adjusting the armrest to the right height, in such a way that it gives enough room to easily move close to the desk and access the keyboard. This would help prevent the chances of leaning over to access your keyboard which would not be good for your back.
The design of the arm support should be such that they are comfortable to sit on, well cushioned, wide and contoured.
5. Are you able to adjust the backrest to a suitable position for your back?
The backrest of several gaming chairs is suitably large to support both your shoulders, middle back and lower back.
When purchasing a gaming chair, the backrest should provide a firm support to all parts of your back. It should be high enough in terms of height as this is important to provide full support to your back.
6. Are you able to adjust the height of the chair?
The entire height of the gaming chair should be adjustable to accommodate people of various statures, physiques, builds, and heights. The gaming chair should ideally, be adjustable pneumatically in such a way that the height of the seat pan could be adjusted while sitting in it.
The mechanical (spinning) height adjustment mechanism of gaming chairs are convenient to use in most cases. This feature makes the chair suitable to be adjusted in other to accommodate people of various heights and body sizes.
Th height of the seat pan should be adjustable so that the feet are firm on the floor, and the front knees are slightly below level or are at level.
Footrest may not be required in most cases. The mechanism used in adjusting the height of the seat should easily be reachable and operable when sitting on the gaming chair.
7. What material is the chair made of?
There are variety of options when it comes to the various types of upholstery materials for gaming chairs.
The most common upholstery materials in gaming chairs are usually vinyl, vinyl-like and leather materials. These materials are resistant to spills, easy to clean and maintain, however they do not breathe.
Uncomfortable or excessive amount of moisture could build up if the gaming chair heats up under the thighs. Some modern gaming chairs made of these types of vinyl like materials are being designed to be breathable.
The following should be considered when it comes to the upholstery materials for gaming chairs:
- Choosing a comfortable upholstery material.
- The comfort of the chair is improved with a well cushioned material. So, you do not have to feel the base when sitting on the gaming chair
- Ensuring that the material is breathable. The chair will not become uncomfortable or too hot if the fabric is breathable.
- Cleaning and maintenance issues. The upholstery material should be easy to clean and maintain.
8. Are you able to lock and unlock the chair so that it reclines?
Rather than sitting at a fixed position, the reclining facility of gaming chairs should be well adjustable to enable you easily move around in the seat. Moving your back while being seated on a gaming chair could help maintain a healthy spine.
Consider looking for gaming chairs that have an easy to operate reclining mechanism, as well as can offer adequate back support to your back at various reclining positions.
It is also a good idea not to lock the backrest of the gaming chair in one position all the time, as this may not be helpful, and reduces the number of available options for the gaming chair’s reclining facility to support your back.
The advantages of using chairs that support dynamic sitting rather than promoting a static posture have been proven in research studies.
9. Does the chair have the right number of castor/wheelbase base?
The ideal base for a gaming chair should be five castor bases. This allows anyone sitting on the gaming chair to freely move around.
It is more important than it might appear to have wheels on the bottom of your gaming chair.
You may not have thought about how many times you move around whilst gaming, or reach to grab items around your gaming station. When stretching to gram items or moving around while seated on your gaming chair, rolling the chair is essential to avoid strain.
If you need your chair to easily move around while you game or work, it should have at least a five-pedestal base with casters that glide freely across the floor surface. Chairs with four casters are more likely to tip over than those with five or more.
Also, based on your home flooring design or make-up, you may want to decide what type of castor base may be suitable for your floor. That is, whether you need a castor base made for hard floors or soft floors such as carpets.
10. Does the chair have enough depth to support your legs?
This have been previously stated above; however, it is important to mention it again here. When finding a gaming chair that fits your body, it is important to consider your build and how this would fit with the gaming chair.
If you are tall, the gaming chair should be deep enough to support your legs; if you are short, the gaming chair should not be too deep. The gaming chair’s front edge should be rounded over to prevent it from digging into your legs, and the gaming chair should not be so deep that you sink into it, as this would make it difficult to change positions.
If you are not sure which gaming chair would best suit you, below are a list of some gaming chairs that you could consider buying:
- GTPLAYER Gaming Chair Office Desk Chair Swivel Heavy Duty Chair Ergonomic Design with Cushion and Reclining Back Support(White)
- Yaheetech Video Game Chairs High Back Gaming Chair PU Leather Ergonomic Swivel Racing Office Chair with Headrest and Lumbar Support Red
- Hadwin Gaming Chair PC Computer Office Racing Chair with Back and Neck Support, Ergonomic Desk Chair High Back Leather PC Office Chair
- Homall Gaming Chair Office Desk Chair Swivel Racing Computer Chair Pc Gamer Chair Ergonomic Design Heavy Duty Chair High Back Reclining Chair with Cushion and Back Support (White)
- play haha. Gaming Chair Racing Style Office Swivel Computer Desk Chair Ergonomic Conference Chair Work Chair with Lumbar Support PU Leatherwith Adjustable Task Chair Gas lift SGS tested
- RL7 Gaming Chair Racing Style-Computer Desk Chair with Footrest High Back Swivel Conference Work Chair for Lumbar Support-Ergonomic Design with Cushion (Blue)
- JL Comfurni Gaming Chair Racing Computer Chair Office Desk Chair High-Back Gaming Recliner with Footrest Ergonomic Video Chair for adults PU Leather Swivel E-sports Chair Red
- Play haha.Gaming chair Office chair Swivel chair Computer chair Ergonomic Conference chair Work chair Lumbar support PU Leather Adjustable task chair Gas lift SGS tested (White)
- Gaming Chair -YOLEO Ergonomic Computer Gaming Chair Adjustable Armrest High Back Office Chair Mute Casters Desk Chair with Lumbar Support and Headrest, Recliner Chair BIFMA Certified
- Requena Sport Desk Chair Adjustable Office Gaming Racing Chair Lumbar and Head Pillow Chair X3577 (Red)
- Olsen & Smith XTREME Gaming Chair Ergonomic Office Desk PC Computer Recliner Swivel Chair Detachable Padded Head Rest Lumbar Support Cushion & Footrest (Black/White)
- Millhouse Gaming Racing Desk Chair Adjustable Computer Office Chair Lumbar and Head Pillow Chairs X3681 (Black)
- KILLABEE Massage Gaming Chair High Back PU Leather PC Racing Computer Desk Office Swivel Recliner with Retractable Footrest and Adjustable Lumbar Support (Grey)
- GTPLAYER Gaming Chair Office Desk Chair Swivel Heavy Duty Chair Ergonomic Design with Cushion and Reclining Back Support(White)
- JL Comfurni Gaming Chair Computer Chairs Ergonomic Swivel Office PC Desk Chair Heavy Duty Reclining High Back with Lumbar Cushion (Black&Red)
- IntimaTe WM Heart Gaming Chair High Back Office Chair Desk Chair Racing Chair Reclining Chair Computer Chair Swivel Chair PC Chair, Red + Black
- LUCKRACER Gaming Chair Massage with footrest Office Chair with Massage Lumbar Support Swivel Chair with Racing Style Armrest PU Leather High Back (White)
- Gaming Chair – Yoleo Ergonomic Office Gamer Chair High Back, Computer Gaming Chair Backrest & Seat Height Adjustment, Executive Racing Swivel Desk Chair with Lumbar Support & Headrest – Black/Grey
- BraZen 18069 Puma Grey PC Gaming Chair & Office Max Weight of 120 kg-Made from Faux Leather & High Quality Steel Frame-360 Degree Swivel Capability-Office Chairs with Arms, 120
- GTFORCE PRO GT Reclining Sports Racing Gaming Office Desk PC CAR Faux Leather Chair (Red)
- GT OMEGA PRO Racing Gaming Chair with Lumbar Support – Ergonomic PVC Leather Office Chair with 4D Adjustable Armrest & Recliner – Esport Seat for Ultimate Gaming Experience – Black Next Blue
- GTRACING Gaming Chair with Bluetooth Speakers Music Video Game Chair Audio【Patented Design】 Heavy Duty Ergonomic Office Computer Desk Chair GT890M (Blue)
- JR Knight Gaming Chair Ergonomic Computer Chair with Adjustable Height,Home Office Desk Chair PU Leather Exclusive Swivel Chair(Black&Blue)
