Every so often, a game arrives which begins to gradually eat up more and more of your time and you’ll find yourself sitting in front of your monitor or TV for hours at a time. This goes beyond an extra couple of matches in Rocket League or FIFA – this is Skyrim, Final Fantasy or WoW style extended gaming sessions, where you easily sit for 5-6 hours completely oblivious to the passing of time.
Until you try to get up. That’s when the stiff back, shoulders and knees can appear, the price to be paid for finishing those last few quests. When you combine the time we spend gaming with the hours we are sitting at a desk in an office or at school, it makes up a pretty substantial portion of the day. While many modern workplaces have taken steps to provide a more comfortable and ergonomically sound environment to help reduce things like back and shoulder pain, it’s an aspect which often gets ignored when we’re gaming at home.
While it’s not an area that’s discussed often, there are plenty of benefits to having an ergonomically sounds gaming set up. The average age of a gamer is now 35, just around the time things like mobility issues and joint stiffness start to kick in for many people, so it’s a good idea to take some preventative measures where possible.
Alongside reducing the risk of long term back and joint issues, it can actually improve gaming performance. Sitting at the right angle in a good quality gaming chair can reduce overall fatigue, which is useful for those longer gaming sessions. Having the screen at the right height and distance can offer a better view of your surroundings and a better field of vision, helping you spot danger a little quicker than before. Having your elbow at the right angle will allow you to move your mouse a little faster and with a wider range of motion, which can make a world of difference in FPS games.
So what are the essentials of an ergonomically sound gaming set up? The infographic below sums up a lot of the key points, but what you should aim for is:
Screen – Your head should be positioned so that you can see the upper third of your monitor at 110 degrees. This will help prevent eye and neck strain and should give you an optimal FOV.
Chair – Ideally you should have a high back chair which should support your back and shoulders when you lean back. It should be reclined by around 30 degrees to take some of the pressure off the spine. Using a lumbar pillow is also a useful way of reducing the strain on the lower back.
Arms – Your elbows should be at your sides, with your arms bent to around 90 degrees and placed on arm rests to reduce shoulder strain. Your mouse should be around parallel with your elbow, and it should be moved with the forearm rather than just the wrist to prevent strain on the wrist.
Legs – You should aim to keep your feet flat on the floor as much as you can. Doing this places the legs in the ideal position and reduces any potential strain on the knees or hips.
This infographic about ergonomics for pc gaming chairs provided by OPSEAT
Bringing the world of office ergonomics into gaming isn’t especially glamorous, but with more of us gaming for long periods of time it can become something which influences our health and wellbeing as we get a little older. Take some time to tweak your gaming setup and you’ll start to notice the improvements pretty quickly. And when you check your steam account and see how long you’ve actually been playing, you can rest assured that you’ve been taking care of your body the whole time.
0
