Do Gaming Chairs Really Improve Performance?

If you’re interested in competitive video gaming, you’ve probably seen them before — the high back, automotive-style gaming chairs used by today’s top Twitch streamers and professional gamers.

After all, they’re hard to miss. Most gaming chairs look as if they’ve been lifted straight out of a rally car, with supportive sides and a bucket-style design that seems more at a place in the world of motorsports than eSports. There are even vents for a five-point safety harness.

They range from affordable to luxurious, with websites like UltimateGameChair.com comparing high-tech models from a variety of brands competing to win over gamers.

Like mechanical keyboards and precision mice, gaming chairs attract no shortage of eye rolls from non-gamers. They’re big, bulky and eye-catching. But beyond their looks, gaming chairs offer a range of benefits that make them of interest not just for gamers, but for a wide range of computer users.

Last year, NY Mag received a question from a reader asking, to put it simply, what the deal is with gaming chairs. Digging into the history of gaming chairs, their team discovered a range of benefits unique to gaming chairs, many of which are tough to find in other office furniture:

Comfort

Despite their racing-inspired looks, gaming chairs are very comfortable. They’re designed with long hours of gameplay in mind, making things like lumbar and shoulder support key priorities for chair designers and manufacturers.

Drawing from the world of competitive motorsport, gaming chair designers made several small but significant changes to the design of the typical office chair when designing the chairs used by competitive gamers today.

First, the backrest is higher, keeping the user in a more upright position than a traditional office chair. Second, the seat is cushioned and comfortable, but not so soft that it lets the user “sink” into the chair and compromise their posture.

The end result is a combination of comfort and support that makes long-haul gaming easier than it normally would be, all while reducing stress on the body.

Adjustability

Gaming chairs are also more adjustable than traditional office chairs — a characteristic that has made them popular with gamers that like to tweak and personalize every aspect of their gaming experience.

Instead of only including the conventional height adjustment lever, modern gaming chairs pack a huge range of adjustability options into their frame. You can move the armrests, headrest, back, seat and numerous other parts of the chair to achieve a perfect fit between PC and seating.

Need to sit back for a racing game? A couple of quick adjustments is all it takes. Need to sit up and close to focus during a multiplayer RTS game? By adjusting the lumbar support, headrest and seat height, players can go from “sat back and relaxed” to “in the action” with ease.

Appearance

Finally, there’s the look. While high-end gaming chairs might look out of place in an office and certainly aren’t manufactured to win awards for elegant design, their racing-inspired, industrial appearance is all part of the charm.

Paired with the right PC case and gaming keyboard, a high-end gaming chair creates the ideal rig for eSports or Twitch streaming. Add a gaming headset into the equation and you’ve got the full package.

In Conclusion

So, do gaming chairs improve performance? While there’s no empirical data out there, gamers seem to think so. From Overwatch to Dota 2, many of today’s top gamers opt for gaming chairs instead of the conventional mid-back office chair for their marathon gaming sessions.