Hardware: Gaming chairs in comparison test – Special

What is a gaming chair?

Almost all manufacturers rely on the look of side-wing auto racing seats on the seat and high backrest, which usually towers over the user’s head. What is supposed to ensure that lateral acceleration does not tear the driver from his seat in a car on a racetrack has mainly visual reasons on a computer. But the design also provides comfortable lateral support if you like to sit back in your chair. In addition, almost all chairs are equipped with armrests and adjustable backrests that can be folded back, which, with proper stability, allow an approximate reclining position.

ergonomics in detail

However, the appearance should play a secondary role in the seating furniture – the correctness of the seat is more important, which is ensured by the good ergonomics of the chair. Above all, this means that the seat can be adjusted to suit the person sitting in such a way that the sitting position is as comfortable as possible. It’s no secret that the magical right angle plays an important role here. The chair should allow the feet to be on the floor, while in a seated position the lower legs form a 90-degree angle with the thighs, which at best are also supported by the chair.

In general, an upright sitting position is optimal – here, too, a right angle is optimal – and it is supported by properly adjusted armrests. These should also allow for a right angle in the elbow joint when the arm is relaxed and resting at level with the table surface. When sitting in a healthy position, the lower back should be optimally supported by the backrest. This means: the backrest must follow the anatomy of our spine, which describes the S-shape, the so-called lordosis. In the ideal case, the backrest with lordosis support completely stabilizes this curvature of the spine and relieves the intervertebral discs in the lower back.

Active sitting is superior to a rigid upright position

Seat pressure distribution is measured with a medical sensor mat.

In conversation with an ergonomics expert, it became clear that “active sitting” is important for the upper back—that is, not sitting for hours, being overly stiff in an upright sitting position, but rather changing your sitting position regularly. The general rule is anyway: movement is also important when you’re sitting. Shifting weight and changing posture are all part of healthy sitting. You should also take regular breaks to take stress off your body.

The following applies: Ergonomics and comfort are not automatically the same – ergonomic chairs can be problematic in the long run, while ergonomics are not particularly attractive. For our testing, we had three testers sit on it, representing three very different body types – from small and light (50kg, 1.56m) to large and heavy (1.80, 90kg).

The seat of the chair should not be too soft and not too hard for comfort, while at the same time the weight of the seated person should be distributed as appropriately as possible over the entire contact surface. The sitting pressure should not be too high to avoid painful pressure points after long sessions. In addition, high demands are placed on gaming chairs in terms of their adaptability, which, unsurprisingly, they cannot fully satisfy. Therefore, it must be said at this point in advance: there is no one-stop solution for gaming chairs. Tall, wide or heavy people need completely different models than small, light or slender ones. In order to sit correctly, hygienically and comfortably, a chair must be purchased according to the dimensions of the body – what this means will be seen below.