I’m spending a lot more time at my computer desk lately, and I know I’m not the only one. Whether it’s for working from home, or for playing games, it’s important to have the right posture to avoid any repetitive stress injuries.
Maybe the most important part is making sure your wrists stay straight, and your hands are at or below elbow level. Try to adjust your chair so your knees bend at a 90 degree angle with your feet on the floor, while keeping your arms positioned properly. You might need to use a footrest to get the best positioning.
Second most important is keeping the monitor at a proper distance. When you’re sitting, your monitor should be an arm’s length from you, and the top of the screen should be at or slightly below eye level. That way, you’re mostly looking straight ahead or down, which is less stressful on your neck than looking up.
Now, let’s talk chairs. I’ve sat in a lot of quote-unquote “gaming chairs” that look like race car seats bolted to casters. These rarely, if ever, have enough adjustments to get a great ergonomic fit, and seem mostly designed to look cool. Ideally, a chair should have adjustments for seat height, back tilt, and armrest height. Other adjustments like lumbar support are a great bonus. Office chairs, like from Steelcase or Herman Miller, are ideal but prohibitively expensive new. However, they can be found used for prices similar to gaming chairs that are not nearly as good for your body.
There are lots of good resources online for helping you get the best fit to your home office or gaming battle-station. Check some of them out, give yourself a self-evaluation, and make sure you’re keeping yourself healthy.
