Gaming

The Truth About Gaming Chairs

Written by Stacey Mullis, OTR/L, ATP, NPI-CPS | May 1, 2023 5:08:20 PM

It’s rumored that the “race car” style gaming seat was developed soon after from the automobile sales crash in 2001. Leftover luxury car seats weren’t selling, so someone came up with an idea to add a base and wheels and like magic, the gaming chair was born. In essence, manufacturers took the car seats that couldn’t be sold and rebranded it to appeal to up-and-coming esports athletes.

But hold up, gamers! Before you go and invest in your career, by buying one of these chairs, you might want to think twice. Sure, they might look cool, but they're made of nothing but steel, covered in foam and leather. That might be fine for a short period of time, but if you're spending hours on end sitting in one of these chairs, your body is going to feel it.

In fact, a recent survey of collegiate e-sports players found that a whopping 42 percent reported experiencing neck and back pain1.

Another study in 2019 found that pain also inhibits performance, as “The most common reason that the performance of gamers starts to suffer is due to lack of comfort.”2 So not only are these chairs causing harm and discomfort, but they're also hindering your performance.

And let's be real here, it's not like the design of these chairs has changed all that much since they first hit the market back in 2006. Sure, you might be able to get one in your favorite team's colors or with your favorite game's logo on it, but at the end of the day, it's still just a car seat on wheels.

Well, if you want to avoid the aches and pains that come with sitting in a “racing style” gaming chair, you might want to invest in something a little more ergonomic.

Look for these four key components when shopping for a gaming chair:

  • 1 Provide pelvis support
  • 2 Elongate the spine
  • 3 Protect the sit bones and eliminate high pressure areas
  • 4 Maintain good posture in resting position
 

The biomechanical principles behind the racing style gaming chair are not backed by science to improve your posture or comfort.

Instead, they give lumbar support (wrong!), they recline (wrong!), and they lack pressure-relieving foam (wrong!).

In fact, no gaming chair on the planet can provide these four key components, except for ANTHROS!

Looking for a gaming chair to improve comfort and performance? Look no further than Anthros.

Anthros is the only chair in the world that is guaranteed to improve posture, or your money back. The science-backed, patented design, is registered with the FDA as a posture-improving chair and is proven to have the lowest pressure (most comfortable) cushion on the planet (verified by university testing).

Take the next step to reducing pain, increasing comfort, and maximizing performance!

 

References:

  1. Difrancisco-Donoghue J., et al., Managing the health of the eSport athlete: an integrated health management model. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine 2019.
  2. Gutierrez, et al., Enhancement of Gaming Experience and Performance through an Ergonomically Designed Console Chair. IEOMSI October 2019.
View full post