A gaming chair not only looks cool, it also offers important comfort during hours of video game sessions. However, they are not exactly cheap. So if you are thinking about buying a suitable chair, you should consider a few things beforehand.
A small round of gaming can quickly turn into an extended video game session. After hours of sitting in front of the screen, the back often complains. Sitting for a long time is poison for the entire musculoskeletal system; Gamers or even office workers can certainly sing a song about that. When playing video games, an appropriate sitting posture is therefore important. Gaming chairs are specially tailored to the needs of gamers. TECHBOOK explains what is important in a good and back-friendly gaming chair
What is important in a good gaming chair
In principle, gaming chairs are nothing more than very comfortable and versatile adjustable desk chairs, which are usually reminiscent of a racing car seat. Some manufacturers of gaming chairs even originally come from the automotive industry. The chairs are designed for long periods of sitting and, above all, offer the advantage of numerous adjustment options. This is where they differ from the normal desk chair, which is usually only adjustable in height and maybe just has a backrest with a rocking function. Gaming chairs offer significantly more options.
Highly customizable
Everyone’s anatomy is different. Accordingly, a standard chair with standard dimensions does not really do justice to anyone. But this is exactly where the advantages of gaming chairs lie. They can be precisely adapted to your own body. Most gaming chairs offer at least the following setting options:
- height of the seat
- inclination of the backrest
- Position of the armrests
Many models also come with lumbar and neck cushions, which are intended to ensure optimal posture and are often even adjustable so that they are in the right place for both large and small people. On some chairs, however, these cushions are integrated directly into the backrest so that they cannot be moved.
However, the size of the seat and the height of the backrest are usually not adjustable. The maximum body weight that a chair can be loaded with also differs from model to model. If you are interested in a chair, you should study the manufacturer’s information on the dimensions, the minimum and maximum body size and the maximum weight load before you buy it. Most manufacturers specify a maximum height of between 1.80 and 1.90 meters and a maximum weight of 100 to 150 kilograms. If you are heavier and still sit on the chair, you will not damage it immediately. However, certain parts wear out faster.
Almost all gaming chairs have side bolsters on the seat and backrest, which are more or less pronounced depending on the model. Like a racing car seat, they not only provide a visual highlight, but also have a function: they provide support. However, it is quite possible that these side bolsters constrict the buttocks, back or shoulders of people who have a broader build. Conversely, they cannot offer narrow people the necessary support if they are too small. Here everyone has to find the right chair for themselves and – if possible – test sit beforehand.
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Armrests often adjustable in all directions
The armrests are a central and essential part of a gaming chair. Here you should pay particular attention to three things: adjustment options, stability and comfort. Practically all armrests can be adjusted at least in height; that’s the bare minimum. For an optimal sitting position, they should be adjusted to the height of the desk in order to rest your elbows comfortably on them while you are engrossed in the game with mouse and keyboard.
However, many models offer far more flexible adjustable supports, so-called 2D, 3D or 4D armrests. These can not only be adjusted in height, but also in other directions. For example, you can slide the armrest forwards and backwards as well as outwards and inwards. A rotation around your own axis – usually up to 45 degrees – is also offered in order to optimally adjust the armrest of the gaming chair to your own body and a comfortable posture. Tilting inwards and outwards or even folding away completely, for example to sit cross-legged on the chair, is only possible with a few models. But in general, these functions are also available.
The stability of the armrests is almost as important. Because if they shift with jerky movements and have to be readjusted again, it’s more than annoying. In hot online battles, this can also become a real disadvantage. Being able to easily adjust the armrests, but also to be able to lock them securely, is extremely important, especially on the digital game and battlefields.
Last but not least, an armrest should be comfortably padded. After all, the elbow often rests on it for hours during extended gaming sessions. The padding should be neither too hard nor too soft and preferably covered with breathable material.
Backrest – this is how the gaming chair becomes a bed
The three criteria of adjustment options, stability and comfort are also decisive for the backrest of a gaming chair. All backrests can be tilted back, some even slightly forward. The latter has the advantage that you can bend over to the screen during particularly concentrated games, but still find the necessary support. The backrest should be infinitely adjustable and offer a decent amount of resistance. This is the only way to adequately support the lower back in particular.
Being able to lock them at any angle with a lever is also desirable. Speaking of angles, some gaming chairs offer a recline angle of 150 degrees and more. This turns the chair into a makeshift bed to take a little nap in between. In combination with a rocking function that increases the angle by a few degrees, this ensures more comfort.
High-quality gaming chairs are often equipped with a so-called synchronous mechanism: when you lean back, the inclination of the seat also changes slightly. The ratio is usually 2:1 or 3:1. So the seat doesn’t tilt as much as the backrest. This mechanism relieves the leg muscles and the back even more, as the contact between the back and the backrest remains constant and you don’t just slide along the backrest.
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Castors, star base and basic structure should be of high quality
Anyone who has ever gone through an intense gaming session knows that gambling can actually be a sport. Anyone who works with full physical effort needs a stable chair that has a clean finish. Irrespective of this, high processing quality ensures a long service life. Most manufacturers rely on a basic construction of a tubular steel frame with a metal plate or steel struts with elastic straps. A few also use solid wood panels. Models with metal grilles or pressed wood panels are not recommended.
The upholstery sits on top of this basic construction. It is usually PU foam, i.e. polyurethane cold foam. In the description of the producers, “high-density foam” or “ultra-comfort foam” is sometimes used for advertising purposes. The heavier the user, the higher the density of the foam should be. Anything up to 40 kilograms per cubic meter is considered soft, medium-hard up to around 70 kilograms per cubic meter. Above that, the padding is rather hard.
Good workmanship also includes a solid base. This is the part of the gaming chair that the casters are attached to. Plastic, aluminum or steel are usually used as materials. Especially the latter are to be preferred because they are robust and durable. With a plastic foot you should make sure that it is solid plastic. Inexpensive chairs often have a base made of injection-moulded plastic, which is hollow and is only stabilized by transverse slats – not particularly solid.
The wheels of a gaming chair are almost always made of plastic. The larger they are, the smoother they usually roll. They are available with and without gum. The latter is particularly suitable for hard floors such as tiles, laminate or parquet. On a carpet it is also possible without rubber. Whether the castors have to have a parking brake is a matter of taste. Most gamers don’t care that much.
Faux leather or fabric: which cover should it be?
Almost all gaming chairs are upholstered in either faux leather or fabric. Genuine leather is rarely used. Imitation leather is cheap and very easy to care for, it can simply be wiped off. However, it is hardly breathable and can cause heat to build up. Especially during longer sessions on warm days, this leads to a sweaty bottom and back. Fabric covers are a better choice here because they let air through. They usually also look a bit higher quality, but are not much more expensive than imitation leather. Disadvantage: Cleaning is not that easy. Liquids in particular can cause stains that cannot be easily removed.
Some manufacturers combine the two covers on their chairs: the seat and the lower backrest are covered with fabric to ensure good ventilation. The other parts that don’t come into so close contact with the body are covered with imitation leather, which in turn is easy to clean.
Calculate the perfect height of a gaming chair
Almost every gaming chair can be adjusted in height. That’s why you should only pay attention to the specified height range when buying. This is based on your own height. Ideally, the legs should form a 90-degree angle when sitting.
There are plenty of tables for this on the internet. You can also easily calculate the perfect height yourself. The decisive factor for this is 3.8: Divide your height by this number. This results in the following calculation:
165/3.8=43.4(cm)
From a height of 1.70 m, the gaming chair should then allow a seat height of 44.7 cm, at 1.75 m accordingly 46.1 cm, at 1.80 m 47.4 cm, etc.
Conclusion: There is no such thing as one chair for everyone!
Many gaming chairs are undoubtedly of high quality and ergonomically perfectly adapted to the needs of gamers. Nevertheless, every gamer should select a chair for their specific needs – size and weight in particular play an important role. If the gamer and chair don’t go together, even the best workmanship and the most ergonomic shape are of no use.
The material and the setting options should also be carefully considered before buying and ideally tried out once. And of course the look also plays a role in the end – because a gaming chair is not exactly the most inconspicuous piece of furniture. You have to like that. Thanks to many manufacturers and models, there is still enough choice for every design request and every special feature.