Whether you are gaming or working in the office, you probably know that sitting for too long puts so much stress and pressure on the lumbar region. With the increase in the number of people working in the office as well as the number of gamers in the world, the need for ergonomic and gaming chairs has greatly increased. As much as they are majorly designed to offer perfect comfort and support to different parts of the user’s body, they both have a couple of differences.
To help you avoid confusing gaming chairs and ergonomic chairs as is common among most new gamers, we discuss comprehensively, the differences between them, as well as the instances when each of them performs effectively.
Contents
Versatility
Ergonomic chairs are specifically designed for use in the office. They are an improvement of the office chair with better cushioning on the backrest and armrests. Ergonomic seats ensure that you can sit in the office for long periods without suffering from neck and back strain or pain. Some of them can be used for gaming, but they will only work in PC gaming.
On the other hand, gaming chairs offer more comfort as compared to ergonomic chairs. These chairs offer supreme padding on the backrest, armrests, and headrest, with each of them being adjustable to what the gamer likes. Unlike ergonomic chairs that do not offer so many designs, gaming chairs come in different types that are versatile for playing different game types in diverse gaming environments.
The adjustability of gaming chairs makes them a great tool for different users of diverse gaming needs as compared to ergonomic chairs that may only fit the specific needs of a single user.
Comfort
Ergonomic chairs are designed to offer comfort in the office. Office work mainly involves typing, printing, and writing, which are not as physically demanding as gaming and allow you some room to move around. Since office work is not as intensive, ergonomic gaming chairs will only provide enough cushioning in the vital areas of the seat. These include the lumbar area, the neck, and the arms.
However, when it comes to gaming, you will have to be seated immobile for longer periods because any subtle movement could disrupt your gaming performance, especially if it is competitive.
This necessitates the need for maximum comfort features. The gaming seats usually feature supreme quality padding in the areas where the gamer rests the lumbar region, neck, shoulder, and arms.
The backrests and armrests are also easily adjustable to ensure that at any instance of gaming, you remain as comfortable as ever, thus reducing cases of muscle and general body strain. Some high-end gaming chairs actually come equipped with back massage technology and seat warming features for an even cozier gaming experience.
Strength and Durability
Both ergonomic and gaming seats are made of strong and durable materials such as stainless steel and strong upholstery such as leather and vinyl. However, their build quality is quite different. The ergonomic chair is meant to give you a bossy feel, and its design is not very sturdy. It is supposed to be mobile enough with wheels and swivel features for easier reach of items within the office, thus quite light and refined in design.
Conversely, gaming chairs are designed to offer comfort and super support during intensive gaming sessions. This calls for a sturdier and heavier design, especially with demanding games such as combat and racing games.
The gaming chair’s design is quite sturdier than ergonomic chairs, which means that gaming chairs have a higher probability of lasting longer than ergonomic chairs if used under similar circumstances.
Customizability and Adjustability
When it comes to customizability, an ergonomic chair is a great improvement from the office chair. Ergonomic chairs come with adequate cushioning especially around the lumbar region, neck, and armrests.
The seat height and recline angle can be easily adjusted to ensure the user is in a proper and comfortable sitting posture. These seats ensure that the user gets comfortable enough with the office without compromising mobility. Their swivel and wheels can be locked whenever you don’t need to move around your working space.
Gaming chairs, on the other hand, offer much better customizability. Just like the ergonomic chairs, they have adequate cushioning, but gaming chairs offer a higher quality of padding with a little bit of adjustability, especially when it comes to the headrest and armrests. The gaming chair can also be adjusted in terms of height and angle of recline of up to 180 degrees.
This makes it possible for the gamer to sit up straight when gaming, lean back a little during fun laid-back gaming and lie flat whenever they want to take a nap. For PC gaming chairs, the swiveling and wheel features can be locked and for rockers and pedestal gaming chairs, the rocking and swiveling properties can also be locked to reduce mobility. Gaming seats can also be customized for playing different games such as by adding steering controls for a racing game, while ergonomic chairs cannot be customized in this way.
Built-In Features
As explained above, ergonomic chairs are just an improvement of the regular office chairs. The only additional features they come with include increased cushioning and more adjustable features.
Their general shape and design look just the same as the ordinary office chair and there is not much functional upgrading: it remains an office chair.
On the other hand, gaming chairs come with extra built-in features to increase functionality and make the gaming experience even more amazing. Some gaming chairs come with inbuilt speakers for an incredible audio-visual experience while some come with additional control panels and settings.
For instance, racer gaming chairs usually have inbuilt steering controls. Some gaming chairs offer storage features while ergonomic chairs do not. In terms of additional built-in features, the gaming chair will always win.
Conclusion
The regular PC gaming chair is quite similar to the ergonomic chair, which makes most gamers confuse the two. However, looking at gaming seats in general, you will see so many differences, and depending on your needs, you will be able to make a solid decision regarding whether you will invest in a gaming chair or an ergonomic chair. With the knowledge you have gained from the discussion above, as well as more information about gaming chairs you can get in this article: 5 Best PC Gaming Chairs, it becomes easier to know if you need an ergonomic or gaming chair. Actually, ergonomic chairs can be used in PC gaming, and it could be a viable choice for you. However, when it comes to other types of games, it becomes a challenge, necessitating the purchase of the respective gaming chair. All you need to get your dream gaming chair is patience and a willingness to research thoroughly both online and offline.
