Where do you fall in the gaming chair debate?

This week’s Discourse™ shines the spotlight on gaming chairs

I have a confession: I’ve never owned a gaming chair, nor have I ever really felt the need to get a gaming chair (well, maybe except for the Hello Kitty x Razer collab, but that’s only because it’s Hello Kitty). For one thing, they’re always super expensive, and I’m trying to ball on a budget over here. I’ve also heard mixed things from my friends — for the most part, they say they’re not super comfortable, although my roommate loves that it’s nice and firm and makes them sit up straighter. As someone who prefers soft, squishy chairs and mattresses, I’m not sold.

Yesterday I saw this TikTok come across my Twitter feed (man, what a 2022 sentence) and I thought the user @Kesswylie had a pretty good theory about why those good ol’ gaming chairs can make our backs ache after a while. His theory is that when companies started making chairs that they wanted to specifically brand as “gaming chairs,” they just made them look as cool as possible. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ’em all, because apparently it’s only a gaming chair if it comes in one shape and design.

He then goes on to argue that regular office chairs are your best bet when it comes to comfort, because “companies want to improve peak performance of employees so that they are fine sitting in their office chair for over ten hours straight without hurting their health,” an idea that he calls “dystopian.” @Kesswylie doesn’t cite any sources that support this idea, and some people in the replies argue that if it’s all about aesthetics, corporations are doing the same thing, because they’re designing for what will look good in an office. If nothing else it makes you think a bit more about what kind of chair you choose to spend a majority of your day in.

Fun fact. Gaming chairs are bad for you. pic.twitter.com/oAtgzqv0C5

— KessWylie 🔜 Pax Unplugged (@Kesswylie) August 11, 2022

He goes on to recommend a budget office chair option, the famous and well-reviewed FlexFit Hyken Mesh Task Chair, which is gonna run you around $200 at stores like Staples, but that’s pretty good compared to a $500 Razer chair if you’re going for something brand name. Of course, you can always try and hunt down a gaming chair on sale, or get the more affordable $150 version, also available at Staples.

Okay, I know I’m ragging on gaming chairs a lot, but they’re just not my thing. To me, you’re paying a lot of money for something that doesn’t give you much benefit at all. Maybe I’m just getting older, but these days I’m much more willing to drop cash on ergonomic items that I know will keep me feeling good.

Some people swear by them though, and I don’t want to be out here yucking someone else’s yum. More power to you if you’re on the gaming chair train.

We want to know what you guys think — what kind of chair do you game in? What are your thoughts on gaming chairs? Let’s discuss in the comments below.