Are you also someone that sits for so many hours a day, and that you wonder which chair would be the best for you? When it comes to choosing the best chairs there are two choices: gaming chair vs office chair.
You should know that a quality chair is not an unnecessary luxury. Your chair must be ergonomic to prevent pain in your back, shoulders, or arms. When you sit on a chair for a long period in the wrong posture, your body can start to change to harmful positions. You could get a forward head or look slouching.
To help you decide which chair is the best for you, we will let you know:
- The differences between gaming and office chairs
- Which chair suits you best
- The best gaming or office chair for you
- That not only a quality chair helps to prevent harm
Let’s dive in and find out what’s the best option for you, to contribute to your overall wellbeing and productivity!
What Makes A Gaming Chair Different
Firstly, let’s start with the gaming chair. Gaming chairs are built with long-time gaming sessions in mind. This means that this chair can help with your desire to rest in between gaming sessions.
Usually, gaming chairs have the option to tilt your backrest. This is great for when you're feeling pain in your back.
Traditional office chairs on the other hand usually have a fixed backrest (with a ‘rocking’ function) and fixed armrests. This means that this chair is not adjustable to give your body the best support.
This is less ergonomic and can lead to serious problems over longer periods. Scientific research has shown that poor ergonomic conditions lead to disorders with your neck, shoulder, back, elbows, and more.
Turn Your Gaming Chair Into A Bed
What’s nice about gaming chairs is that their backrest reaches the top of your head. I find it a nice feeling that I can simply rest my head by leaning it backward. Ideal for when you get tired or when you're watching a movie.
Most gaming chairs can almost tilt completely horizontal, meaning that you almost have a bed on wheels. They also feature more cushioning that’s adjustable in height to make it comfortable for you. The external neck pillow helps your upper back and shoulders relax. Gaming chairs can also have a back pillow that’s adjustable in height.
My Personal Experience With A (Cheaper) Gaming Chair
After using a gaming chair for many years from the brand ‘AK Racing’, I can tell that I liked the option to raise the back cushion. I moved it to my lower back or the middle of my back for extra support (since I have a hollow back). When the cushion didn’t give me enough support over some time, I could usually fix this by tilting the backrest.
The quality of the cushions and the chair itself get deteriorated over time too. When this didn’t feel comfortable enough for me, I removed my cushion from the chair making it feel way better. It’s good that the cushions are detachable. And btw, it is not strange to think that a lower quality gaming chair will be worn out faster. This is very likely to happen with a product that you use day in, day out.
After testing high-quality office and premium gaming chairs, we can tell that there is a huge difference in the way each chair feels, and that good quality matters. You especially start to notice this over longer periods!
Why Is It Interesting To Buy An Office Chair?
Whenever you have used a gaming chair for years, or are looking to upgrade your chair to a higher quality chair, you should consider buying an office chair too.
But you have to pay attention to certain things. Office chairs are generally speaking not meant for resting. They are mainly focused on good posture, giving you the right back and arm support.
Unlike the traditional office chairs mentioned earlier, high-quality ergonomic office chairs do contribute to sitting at the right angles. These allow you to tilt and adjust almost every part of the chair. Especially the backrest is what’s important.
Ergonomic office chairs can be adjusted in their heights, directions, and how far your back can tilt back, and so on. This is very beneficial for gaming too. What’s also good about these, is that no matter how you sit, you can change your armrests in such a way that they are perfectly lined up with your arms.
Adjustable Ergonomic Office Chairs
So remember, ergonomic office chairs are a better option than a traditional office chair. What matters for you is that they need to be adjustable. Only with adjustable parts, you will prevent pain and support a good posture and healthy sitting. Your productivity will increase since your chair can adjust to your needs.
It is fairly not possible that your body will feel alright after sitting on a fixed chair for multiple hours. You will be limited in the number of positions and support.
Where Should You Go For? Gaming Chair VS Office Chair
To help you decide which chair you should go for, we made some steps that you can follow below. Simply answer the questions, and see where these steps bring you.
Have you followed these steps? Awesome! When you haven’t yet, please do this first.
Now you have been through the biggest part of deciding which chair suits you best. To make this more understandable to you, we will go over some other aspects that are important when looking for the right chair.
Our goal is that you get a good sitting posture. This reduces pain and muscle strain, improves blood flow, and makes you able to breathe more deeply.
We have named the chairs into 4 different groups:
- The gaming chair, which is a regular gaming chair
- The traditional office chair, which has a fixed backrest and fixed armrests
- The premium gaming chair
- The fully adjustable office chair
As you have seen in this article earlier, we recommend either a premium gaming chair or a fully adjustable office chair to give you the best support possible.
Lower End Budget – Best Chair
When you want to buy a chair at the lower end budget, we recommend you go for a gaming chair, even though you don’t necessarily want to lay horizontally. This is because gaming chairs are relatively more economic than a traditional office chair. Gaming chairs have a high backseat, lumbar pillows, and 2D or 3D armrests.
FYI, 3D armrests mean that they are adjustable in 3 dimensions: by height, backward/forwards, and by sideway angle. 4D armrests can move left/right too.
Typical Racing Style of Gaming Chairs: Unnecessary?
Just have a look at all the gaming chairs you see on the market. All of them have the typical racing design. But is this necessarily important? When you play racing games, a gaming chair will give you a more realistic experience. This is because a gaming chair has raised sides and a winged backrest. Most of them also have an elevated font.
Let us give you some background information. Within racing, the body of drivers can shift from the left to the right. To keep drivers in place when they go through very sharp turns, the raised sides and winged backrest prevent them from flying out of their chair.
We don’t expect you to sway violently from left to right, not even with your most intensive racing games. Unless you’re playing on a racing playseat with a steering wheel, that moves and flies depending on how you drive (to give you a realistic experience), then a racing (gaming) chair is a must-have.
Of course, a gaming chair can also look cool behind your setup. So if this design is important, then you definitely should go for a gaming chair.
Gaming chairs are designed to look cool too, whereas the manufacturers of office chairs try to make them look nice.
Comfortable Perspective Gaming Chair VS Office Chair
From a comfort perspective, a gaming chair allows you to lay back horizontally, which can be great to rest in-between games. This is one of the main differences between gaming and office chairs that matter.
We can tell that there’s a chance that parts of a gaming chair can restrict your body movements. Let me illustrate this. I like to sit cross-legged. On a gaming chair, this can be a bit hard since your legs are pushed up by the raised sides. On the other hand, who wants to sit cross-legged on a chair?
I hope you get the point. Both the raised sides and winged backrest of a gaming chair can be limited to the positions you want to sit in. This is something you won’t struggle with on an office chair. Of course, this also depends on your body.
Do you like to sit with your legs wide open? Do you have a broad back? It might sound silly, but these are serious questions when it comes to choosing a gaming chair. You can also work around this problem by getting yourself a larger gaming chair.
Or are you satisfied with a wooden chair too, as this Samoyed dog is with the wooden floor?
Ergonomic Perspective Gaming Chair VS Office Chair
Gaming chairs are relatively more ergonomic than traditional office chairs unless you get a fully adjustable office chair. This also depends on the quality of your gaming chair. When it’s a premium (high-quality) gaming chair, both types will be very ergonomic for you.
However, when we get into higher price classes, gaming chairs (even premium ones) usually stay limited in the way they are shaped and their adjustability. High-quality office chairs come in so many shapes and sizes that they can look totally different from each other. A gaming chair is a gaming chair. This is also why fully adjustable office chairs can be way more expensive than premium gaming chairs.
Both Types Can Offer The Right Adjustabilities
Manufacturers of fully adjustable office chairs can simply use all kinds of techniques and shape it into the design that fits this best. Ergonomic office chairs are not restricted to a certain design like gaming chairs. Plus they contain very comfortable and high-quality materials too like the premium gaming chairs. In short, both types of chairs offer a lot of adjustabilities and are made of high-quality materials.
Before we jump to a conclusion, we want to tell you something else first.
Not Only A Good Chair Helps To Prevent Harm
Even though you have found the right chair (or maybe you sit on it already), it doesn’t mean that this will completely prevent you from harm. Even the best chair in the world can lead to pain or harm. This is because sitting for too long is simply not good for you. Yes, a very good chair gives you more comfort and prevents any problems as far as possible, since it can support your body in every way you like.
Make Your Body Strong
What we want to say with this, is that you also need to practice for a good posture and other desired effects such as the prevention of pain. Another chair position and movement do loosen your muscles, but they won't get strong. You have to do something about that.
When you train your muscles, it will take longer for them to get tired. This means that it becomes easier to stay in a certain position, which makes a big difference. Make sure you have a good posture and that you get plenty of exercise. Use strength training to make your body strong.
Furthermore, you must support your body with good nutrition. And in simple words, when you have a big belly, it will also be a lot heavier for your back. So what will be the absolute best, is combining a good quality chair with sufficient exercise, strength training, and good nutrition.
Don’t Sit For Hours Straight
What’s also good to mention, is that you should switch between standing (moving) and sitting regularly. Don’t sit for hours straight.
This is why a lot of companies and homeworkers make use of standing desks. These desks are adjustable in height, meaning that you can raise your setup to switch to standing.
Have you ever heard ‘’sitting is the new smoking?’’. And when you think that you can make this up by a workout later in the day, you can’t.
Of course, this is very healthy and it will make you strong. But the key here is that you also switch between sitting and standing. This prevents harm in the long term.
What Sitting Does To Your Body
When you’re sitting most of your day (and you don’t switch with standing or movement often), you can get higher blood pressure and cholesterol. This is associated with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, for instance. Even some cancers and depression are associated with sitting for too long. Research has shown that premature death and obesity are linked with this too.
We hope that this made it clear to you that not only a good chair helps to prevent harm. We didn’t want to worsen your mood. Talking about standing desks, it is of course easier to use a standing desk when you’re working instead of gaming. It could feel uncomfortable to have a controller in your hands, whilst your arms are hanging straight down. Or to not have armrests when you're playing with a mouse and keyboard.
Standing Is Uncomfortable At First, Great Later On
From personal experience, I can tell that standing whilst gaming felt a bit uncomfortable at first, but it felt great after some time.
Your body can move around freely, it has better blood circulation, and you burn some extra calories too. It makes me feel more energetic and productive!
You don’t have to do this for long. When you’re usually gaming for hours straight, and you’re not in a game where you need the absolute best performance, try to switch to standing.
The key here is that you switch between standing and sitting. For example, sit for 40 minutes, stand for 10 minutes. Or to start easy: sit for an hour or two, and then stand for a bit. You will notice the difference for sure!
Conclusion | What's Better? - Gaming VS Office Chair
No matter if you’re gaming or working, both types of chairs can be good for both situations. Knowing which chair suits you best, is very simple. To help you with choosing between the gaming vs office chair, we will show you some strong points that you have to take into account when buying a chair.
You know that there are four different types of chairs that matter in this case. We call them:
- The gaming chair, which is a regular gaming chair
- The traditional office chair, which has a fixed backrest and fixed armrests
- The premium gaming chair
- The fully adjustable office chair
The last two types of chairs are simply the best options. This is because these chairs have the necessary adjustabilities that contribute to optimal support during the day. Besides, they are made of high-quality materials and techniques that will contribute to healthy sitting in the long-term.
The most important points to remember are these, and then you will be good to decide!
- A gaming chair is better than a traditional office chair
- A fully adjustable ergonomic office chair or a premium gaming chair is the best choice
- Only (premium) gaming chairs have the option to let you lay horizontally
- When design matters to you, go for the chair which design suits you best
- Gaming chairs can limit your sitting positions by their raised sides and winged backrest
- Fully adjustably ergonomic office chairs can cost a lot more than premium gaming chairs
Lets Aim For Healthy Sitting. Btw, Want More Energy?
Have you ever used an energy drink to keep you energetic during the day? Energy drinks do more harm to your body than good. G Fuel is a well-known drink within the gaming world. Can G Fuel be a healthier alternative?
Also make sure to check out these gaming chairs:
Stay up to date with all kinds of interesting gaming subjects on our gaming blog. There is new content very regularly!
FAQ
This matters on the quality of the chair. Gaming chairs are better than traditional office chairs, which have a fixed backrest and fixed armrests. However, a fully adjustable ergonomic office chair can be as good for you as a premium gaming chair.
When you want the typical gamer (racing) design, or you want the option to lay back horizontally, then it's simple: get yourself a gaming chair. When this doesn't matter to you, you can go for both chairs. Make sure you choose a chair that has the right adjustabilities to contribute to healthy sitting in the long-term.
A gaming chair can be limited to your body movements. This is because a gaming chair has raised sides and a winged backrest, usually meant for racing drivers to keep them in place. However, a gaming chair gives you the option to lay horizontally which is ideal for resting in-between gaming sessions.
Gaming chairs can be used for work, as office chairs can be used for gaming too. It all depends on your personal preferences. Do you like to lay back whilst typing e-mails, and having phone contact for example? Then a gaming chair is a better choice for you. When this doesn’t matter to you, you should focus on the quality. Look for a premium gaming chair or a fully adjustable ergonomic office chair.
You can use an office chair for gaming and yes, this will be good. What matters is that you choose the type of chair that suits you best. A gaming chair lets you lay back horizontally too, whereas an office chair is more focused on being active.
When you are using a regular chair right now, it is worth it to switch to a gaming chair. These give you a lot more comfort, mainly because of their highly adjustable backseat. This is better for your back, and it makes you able to rest in-between gaming sessions.
Based on ergonomics, a gaming chair will be better than a traditional office chair. This is because their backseat has more adjustability options, which is better for your back. However, a fully adjustable ergonomic office chair will beat a gaming chair. When you’re looking at premium gaming chairs and fully ergonomic office chairs, you can’t go wrong.
You can use both chairs for gaming and working. When you want the best chair, adjustability is important. Therefore, you should look at premium gaming chairs or fully adjustable ergonomic office chairs (not the traditional ones). Secretlab TITAN offers the best gaming chairs, and brands such as Herman Miller and Steelcase Gesture offer great office chairs. However, there’s a lot more competition at this.
We recommend the gaming chairs from Secretlab. They are custom made, of very good quality, and last for a long time. The best ones they deliver are the Secretlab TITAN gaming chairs. Secretlab even delivers complementary warranty on their products: that’s how confident they are of their quality.
The difference lays mainly into two things: design and adjustability. A gaming chair has a typical (racing) gamer design, and even the cheapest gaming chairs offer the option for you to lay back horizontally. Since their backseat is very adjustable, they offer more comfort for your back over a longer time. However, a fully adjustable ergonomic office chair will beat a gaming chair. The best option is to either go for a premium gaming chair, or a fully ergonomic office chair.
The backseat of gaming chairs is adjustable in more degrees than an office chair making it better for your back. To be able to get this with an office chair, you'll need a fully adjustable ergonomic office chair.
Only the top-of-the-line office chairs will be more expensive than the very best (premium) gaming chairs out there. This is because they have a much better build quality.
