‘Most chairs labeled as ‘gaming’ chairs are simply budget task chairs with colorful accent stripes’: here’s what annoys industry experts the most about gaming chairs
And with the ever increasing amount of time we spend sitting at those desks—especially with the rise of working from home—it’s important that gamers have a comfortable and ergonomic place to park their derriere. And, because we’re special, that standard swivel chair you might have picked out of a skip, or at Ikea for a pittance, just doesn’t cut it, and so the gaming chair was born.
But is a gaming chair the right place to park it? The best gaming chairs offer a wealth of adjustable features and space-age materials all designed to keep you comfortable and keep your spine intact for a long gaming session. Yet outside of that you will find a ton of brightly coloured seats filled with cheap materials, that deliver almost no ergonomic benefits, all aiming to copy the style of Secretlab, Corsair, and AndaSeat.I recently spoke to four ergonomists about gaming chairs, desks, and the ‘right’ posture (apparently there kinda isn’t such a thing) and specifically asked them whether there were features or design quirks that frustrated them about modern chairs, and especially gaming chairs.
Dr. John Gallucci Jr. MS, ATC, PT, DPT
Dr. Gallucci Jr. is President and CEO of JAG Physical Therapy, one of the fastest-growing comprehensive physical and occupational therapy practices providing rehabilitative care to patients and sports teams in over 160 locations throughout the Northeast. He has significantly impacted his field in the Tri-State area and holds a national presence in the sports medicine community. A noted published author, Gallucci released his first book, Soccer Injury Prevention and Treatment, in May 2014. His second book, Play Ball: Don’t Let Injuries Sideline You This Season, was released on May 1, 2018. His third book, The JAG Method, was released on October 10th, 2023.
“Yes, definitely!” Says Dr. John Gallucci Jr. “A few things stand out. Overbuilt ‘racing style’ designs: They look cool but often force your spine into unnatural positions with rigid side bolsters or bucket seats that don’t promote good posture.
“Fixed or exaggerated lumbar pillows,” he continues. “Not everyone’s spine is shaped the same! A giant pillow can push your lower back too far forward, causing discomfort instead of relief.”
Most of the experts I spoke to also said the same thing about form over function, with Dr. Gallucci noting that “RGB lights, flashy colors, or ‘wings’ on the headrest don’t make up for poor adjustability or lack of ergonomic support.”
As you might expect from an office/task chair manufacturer, Humanscale’s ergonomic expert, Jonathan Puleio, is more scathing. “Most chairs labeled as ‘gaming’ chairs are simply budget task chairs with colorful accent stripes.
“The backrest and seat pan are typically attached and non adjustable. If you are lucky enough to find a gaming chair that has a recline mechanism, it will likely have a back lock and a tension control knob. Most gaming chairs are severely lacking from an ergonomics standpoint. We recommend not falling for the marketing hype surrounding them.”
Jonathan Puleio, M.Sc. CPE
Jonathan is a board certified professional ergonomist who holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in human factors and ergonomics from Cornell University. He has extensive experience in the areas of occupational health & safety, musculoskeletal injury prevention, software usability and workplace design. Jonathan has worked with the International Standards Organization (ISO) on the development of international ergonomic standards for office environments and holds several U.S. patents for the design of ergonomic work tools.
There’s a common misconception that ‘soft’ translates to ‘comfortable’.
Dr. Jordan Tsai
Kevin Butler, a professional ergonomist and senior wellbeing consultant at Steelcase, another of the best office chair manufactures, is more measured, though: “Many gaming chairs prioritize style over function—super stiff seats, fixed armrests, or exaggerated racing-style shapes that don’t actually support how people sit. Looking good means nothing if your back’s paying the price.”
Slightly countering that point about ‘stiff seats’, however, is Secretlab’s ergonomics advisor and esports physical therapist, Dr. Jordan Tsai: “There’s a common misconception that ‘soft’ translates to ‘comfortable’. But there are glaring issues with prolonged sitting on too-soft surfaces. For one, it increases the demand on the stabilizer muscles in your trunk area, which can lead to discomfort, and subsequently, fatigue.
“You can liken this to how your body has to work harder to balance on a soft foam surface (such as a bean bag) versus stable, hard ground. The uneven weight distribution on soft surfaces also increases the focal pressure at the point of contact. A reasonably firm surface is key to distributing the pressure exerted.”
This is the reason you’ll find the best gaming chair, the Secretlab Titan Evo, coming with a relatively hard seat. But as well as being ergonomically beneficial, Dr. Tsai also suggests that a stiffer seat material can actually be a benefit to competitive gamers.
“Another thing I really like about firmer seat bases is that you can sit on the front half of the chair and not feel like you’re falling off from it. This is a position I call ‘Active Posture’—I often recommend this to competitive gamers, which allows them to lean forward without compromising their lower back posture.
“I’d also personally always choose a strong foam-based seat over a mesh-based one. Foam gives more uniform support and allows for better weight distribution, even when sitting on a smaller surface area.”
Kevin Butler, MS, CPE, Fitwel Amb.
Kevin Butler is a Board Certified Professional Ergonomist who holds both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Industrial Engineering. Although Kevin has extensive experience as an ergonomics consultant, for the last several years he has been almost completely dedicated to the holistic topic of Wellbeing. While Kevin’s primary role at Steelcase began in understanding the meaning of workplace Wellbeing by bench-marking and best-practice-sharing, it has evolved into maximizing his knowledge and expertise as a practitioner. This is realized by assisting organizations of varying sizes in the design and implementation of their Ergonomic and Wellness program development efforts, always striving to leverage the workplace as a resource to increase both individual and organization Wellbeing.
What SHOULD you look for in a gaming chair?
These are the things that really get to the expert ergonomists in the industry, so what should you be looking for in your next gaming chair? Well, all of the people I spoke to said the same thing: You need a chair that supports movement.
“Look for a chair that keeps you supported and moving,” says Kevin Butler. “Long gaming sessions demand a seat that adapts to your body, not the other way around.”
And that’s what Secretlab’s advisor, Dr. Tsai notes, too. “You want a chair that gives you room to naturally move about and able to provide support for your body at the same time. Because when you’re able to shift and change your sitting position regularly, you will naturally adopt comfortable positions as needed.”
Puleio agrees, stating that: “Movement and postural variation are critical for maintaining long-term comfort and health. Consider chairs that have self-adjusting features such as weight sensitive recline mechanisms and form-sensing mesh.”
Long gaming sessions demand a seat that adapts to your body, not the other way around.
Kevin Butler
Dr. Gallucci, however, is more concerned with adjustability. “The most important thing to look for in a chair is ergonomic adjustability. A good chair should support your posture for long periods without causing discomfort or fatigue. That means it should allow you to adjust the seat height, seat pan depth, armrests, lumbar support and backrest tilt.”
“Because we’re all built differently,” agrees Dr.Tsai, “adjustments are key to tailoring the chair to best match your needs. That’s why it’s not just about whether they have certain features, but to what degree of adjustments said features actually give us.”
That’s what the experts recommend, and we’ve spent a lot of time testing different places to park our butts for a concerted gaming session to allow us deliver a definitive verdict on what the best gaming chairs are for your spine and your budget.
Dr. Jordan Tsai
Dr Tsai started gaming at the age of five on the original NES and was immediately hooked. He served three years in the Army, including a deployment to Iraq before going back to school. He graduated from USC’s #1 ranked Doctorate of Physical Therapy program in 2018 and started working with Cloud9 that year. Since then, he has been on staff with three LCS Championship teams with five total titles so far. His mission is to help gamers of every level practice habits that will enable them to continue playing pain-free as long as possible.
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