When it comes to gaming, there is nothing more important than the chair you’re sitting in. After all, your body is the instrument that helps you play the game. The right gaming chairs can make a big difference in your comfort levels while playing games.
But if you are playing games at an office or some locations where you don’t have access to a proper gaming chair. Are office chairs good for gaming? Let’s find out.
For a pro gamer or a hardcore workaholic, nothing can bypass comfort. And, this is the reason why people spend a generous amount of money on buying the ideal chairs for gaming or office use.
Now, We often ask whether a Gaming chair can be used as an office chair or not but can office chairs be used for gaming?
Well, if you are a beginner and you spend just a few hours trying to play, then office chairs can serve the purpose for you. But, if you are a pro gamer looking out for a chair, you need to find your option in the gaming chairs category only.
Features that make a gaming chair different from office chairs!
When you are gaming, you want to ensure that you are comfortable. If your back hurts, or if your neck feels sore, chances are you will lose focus and not be as competitive as you could be.
A gaming chair is designed with the comfort of the user in mind. While an office chair might have a slight reclining feature, it’s meant for short breaks at work. It doesn’t offer additional cushioning for long hours of playtime because it was never intended for that use.
Let’s find out what all factors that make a gaming chair so special,
1. Seat Pan
Most gaming chairs are designed with a bucket seat, which is inspired by the gaming car seats. As far as an ergonomic aspect is concerned, bucket seats serve very little purpose.
However, they are meant to make you go through the adventurous ride while playing your favorite game. So, if you don’t want to compromise on the adventuresome journey, you should buy gaming chairs specifically.
2. Seat Edge
Another major difference between an office chair and the gaming chair is the front edge of the seat. The front edge is slightly lifted in gaming chairs, just like you see it in your car seats, whereas in office chairs, the person has to sit at the angle where the knees bend at 90 degrees.
So, if you use an office chair, you won’t get the feeling like a pro gamer might be obtaining using a gaming chair.
3. Headrest
The high-quality office chairs come with an adjustable headrest, allowing the user to adjust the height and angle of the headrest easily.
On the other hand, gaming chairs are usually designed with a fixed headrest to provide proper support to the player’s head. Besides, most of these chairs come with a removable head pillow used to back up the neck and provide optimum comfort.
So, if you use an office chair for your gaming routine, you might not get the comfort that a gaming chair is designed to offer.
4. Backrest
According to the University of Alberta research, the ideal sitting position to put the least pressure on the spine is at 135 degrees.
Now, most office chairs are restricted in backward reclining, as people sit straight when working at their computers. However, backward reclining is an essential feature in gaming chairs, and some of the chairs can be reclined to 180-degree angles.
So, if you are planning to use your office chair for gaming, you might end up putting a lot of pressure on your back.
5. Lumbar Support
The gaming chairs come with detachable lumbar pillows to provide optimum lumbar support. These pillows target the specific area that requires cushioning to provide unmatched comfort. And you won’t get this feature in office chairs, which makes it unfit for extended gaming hours.
6. Armrest
Armrest adjustability is yet another feature where you realize how important a gaming chair is for pro gamers. Gaming chairs come with 2D and 3D armrests at affordable cost, where it is easy to adjust the height, depth, and angle of the armrest to suit different arm positions.
On the other hand, in ergonomic office chairs, adjustability comes with a high cost, and some of them might not be as good as gaming chairs.
What if you use an office chair for gaming?
As explained above, there’s a major difference in the features of office and gaming chairs. Thus, if you use your office chair for gaming, you might end up causing trouble to your body. Let’s take a look at the downsides of using an office chair for gaming.
Lack of adventurous feel
As evident, there’s no bucket seat or elevated front in office chairs, and hence when you use it for gaming, you don’t get that feeling of being on an adventuresome journey.
Many gamers spend on gaming chairs so that they can indulge in the game like a pro. So, if you too wish to have an unmatched gaming experience, invest in good-quality gaming chairs.
Restricted back reclining
Gaming chairs are designed to recline to even 180 degrees, which provides optimum support and convenience to the gamer.
Whereas office chairs cannot be reclined to such extreme levels, restricting their use while playing games. When gamers cannot recline backward comfortably, their muscles feel stressed, and their body gets tired often.
Insufficient support
Even the most economically priced gaming chair comes with additional pillows for extended lumbar and head support.
These pillows are meant to provide cushioning to all the required places while you indulge in extensive gaming sessions. However, most office chairs are not sold with pillows, so they lack the comfort you get in gaming chairs.
Limited adjustability
Office chairs are ergonomically designed to keep your body active while providing optimum support in the required areas.
The cost of these chairs inclines with increased functions, and for greater adjustability options, you must pay a high cost.
On the other hand, even the most economical gaming chair comes with advanced adjustability options, where the difference lies. Thus, office chairs have limited adjustability as compared to gaming chairs.
Besides this, gaming chairs are usually designed using bold and attractive colors, while office chairs are kept on the sober end. So, in case you want to set up a room that looks like a professional gaming area, you should invest in a good gaming chair.
So, as far as ergonomics are concerned, office chairs are designed keeping in mind your body requirements to extract optimum productivity out of you. But, as far as gaming chairs are concerned, they are more focused on comfort and feel.
Conclusion
So, if you are planning to use your office chair for gaming, you can do so for a few days until you buy a permanent chair for your gaming room. But, in the long run, you should only rely on a gaming chair to get optimum comfort and the pleasure to be a part of your favorite game.
