Gaming Posture: 5 Things You Need To Start Doing Now

Gamers, it's time to take your posture seriously. We know, we know, who has time for posture when there are worlds to save and battles to win? You're probably thinking “Give me a break! I just want to play my game!” 

Think of it this way: You wouldn't play your favorite game on a broken controller, would you?

Even though the gaming community is all ears when it comes to new technologies & hardware in gaming, along with gaming strategies, reviews, and previews (the list goes on and on); the topic of gaming posture seems to stay overlooked. We would say - of course!

We all know the feeling of getting lost in an intense gaming session and not even realizing how much time has passed.

But have you ever experienced stiffness in your neck or back? Maybe not immediately after the session but tomorrow, or the day after?

That stiffness or discomfort is the first, least serious sign of bad posture. Unfortunately, it almost always develops into something more serious, if you don’t start paying attention.

Bad posture, back pain...”Why should I care?”

 

Sitting in one position for longer periods of time can cause our muscles to tenseup, leading to poor circulation, stiffness, and pain. Focused on the game, gamers usually let their shoulders hunch forward and their heads jut out. The result? Scarier than you might think.

Prolonged sitting Prolonged sitting itself is - very problematic. Ever since humans have evolved to be upright, our bodies are meant to be moving around frequently.

Sitting for prolonged periods of time, therefore, isn't natural for us - quite the opposite. The natural position of the human body is to be in motion and engage in physical activity in order to maintain strength, good circulation, and flexibility. More importantly, moving allows pumping blood back to the heart and keeping the spine in an aligned position - not under constant compression.

These processes are naturally created. Prolonged sitting is disrupting them.

Prolonged sitting with bad posture

What’s posture anyway? It is a static position that includes your, head, shoulders, back, legs, arms, and hands (you get it, it’s your whole body). While there is no such thing as good or bad, there is an optimal position for your body while you’re sitting. Somethin closest to “good” would be a setting in which your muscles, joints, spine, and entire body suffer the least.

We learned that sitting for long periods of time is generally speaking, bad for our bodies. Now, imagine what happens when we add inadequate (“bad”) posture to it and combine it with gaming.

Some of the common ailments in gamers are neck pain and lower back pain. This can develop into “upper or lower cross syndrome” (reduced range of motion, dizziness, headaches, and pain), compression of the discs and joints in the lower back, resulting in pain and discomfort, arthritis, or “spondylosis”.

Repetitive motion strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome ("Pins and needles" feeling in the fingers, weakness when gripping objects ), tendinitis (pain, weakness, difficulty in moving the joints), and epicondylitis (inflammation of the tendons around the elbow) that causes weakened grip strength, and possible numbness and tingling.

It can go even further to nerve impingements such as piriformis syndrome (pain down the back of the thigh, calf, and foot - sciatica, reduced range of motion), thoracic outlet syndrome (numbness in your fingers), or deep vein thrombosis: a medical condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein. These clots usually develop in the lower leg, thigh, or pelvis, but they can also occur in the arm.

...and it doesn’t stop here.

Now you know! Here’s what you can do about it.

Taking care of your body while gaming is just as important as leveling up your character. You don't want to be stuck on the sidelines because of a sore back or aching hands, do you?

We know you don’t want to bother yourself with these things either. So what can you do?

Here are the 6 super simple yet effective ways you can improve your posture while you play your favorite games (without having to put much thought into it):

Sit right. Not tight.

Not tight, and not straight but rather - neutral. We already explained that less load on your ligaments muscles or tendons means less pain as a result.

You should focus on 3 spots: your neck, your mid back, and your lower back.
The first and most important thing is: don't bring your shoulder blades back or try to arch your back excessively.

Instead, focus on the natural curve of your spine by bracing your stomach and slightly tucking in your chin (as if you wanted to show your double chin to your gamer friends).

You should also have good lumber support, and ideally something you can rest your shoulder blades and your head on.

Next - your hips should be aligned with your knees in a neutral position, and your elbows and wrists supported, in a resting position.

Move. Not just virtually.

Sitting is inevitable. But is sitting for hours and hours, without a break - really inevitable?

Taking breaks in your game doesn't have to mean stopping or skipping a session. It can be a 10-second stand-up or a little stretch from time to time.

However, these small movements are proven to be crucial in preventing gamers' leanness, joint dysfunction, pain, and many more problems that gamers may experience.

How? By awakening body-wide circulation and preventing muscular imbalances, you can avoid both physical and mental burnout.

Anything above one minute is just a bonus for your body! You can do gamer stretches for the upper and lower extremities that consist simply of:

- Pressing your palms and fingers together and doing a series of round movements to help stretch and release tension from your shoulders, arms, and hands.

On top of that, a couple of lateral leg swings, or squads can help you prevent musculoskeletal problems.

Choose the equipment that works best for YOU

Ergonomic equipment refers to products and tools that are designed to be used in a way that minimizes strain on the body and promotes proper posture.

It sounds like this scientific field (traced back to the early 20th century) - was inspired by gamers’ posture! Well, not really.

In reality, ergonomics is developed as the concept of "human factors engineering” after extensive research on the causes of workplace injuries, which today, can be applied to the setup of every gamer.

First things first: what works for someone else doesn't necessarily have to work for you: your body size, body weight, and the nature of your gaming persona will determine exactly what you need.

For starters, focus on your sitting setup. When buying a gaming chair, you should focus on three things: armrests, backrests, and padding seats. The best options are adjustable chairs and desks. They allow the user to customize the height and position of the work surface, which can help reduce strain on the neck, shoulders, and back.

This should be followed by an ergonomic keyboard and a vertical mouse designed to reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries by promoting a natural hand and wrist position, along with ergonomic headphones designed to reduce pressure on the ears and fit comfortably around the head, which can help prevent headaches and neck pain.

 
Finally, a stand-up desk is not something that first comes to your mind but it is something that could just completely change your game.

Be sneaky clever with your gaming gadgets

Who says that accessories and gaming gadgets are not important?
Not every gamer needs the same accessories, but every gamer needs a gaming advantage over their opponents. Whatever helps you get that edge over everyone else, sounds like a good gadget to us.

Gaming chairs are ergonomically made to support your back, but many gamers still experience neck, back, and shoulder stiffness and pain, after hours of streaming or competitive gaming.

This is where gadgets like Valari make all the difference.

Your whole posture is at risk when you hold your console for prolonged periods of time which can be seen in a phenomenon called gamer's lean.

This happens because you're usually resting your elbows on your thighs, naturally rounding your back which can result in pain.

HD screens, additional memory, special gaming keyboards, mouse pads, racing wheels, footrests, rounded monitors & more, are perfect to help elevate your gaming experience and make a great addition to your setup.

But what about taking the pain out of the game?

Adding gadgets such as Valari to your setup can completely transform the way you play by helping to put your spine in a neutral position, supporting your forearms, shoulders, neck, and back with the perfect amount of comfort between your console and your legs.

 

The result? You can game for longer and prevent that stiffness that was making you skip, stop or postpone your gaming sessions. A sneaky clever way to beat the competition! 

Focus on the 90 rule

When it comes to gaming and proper posture, almost everything in your setup should be at 90°.

By this, we mean that the back of your seat should ideally be somewhere around 90 degrees to help support your back, and prevent you from slouching.

The same goes for your gaming monitor: ideally, it should be the same level as your eyes or a little bit lower.

Finally, your knees should be bent to approximately 90 degrees as well as your arms, which should rest on the table and form the same angle.

It's not always possible but the more 90s you can get, the better your posture will be!

Time to sum everything up...

In conclusion, maintaining good posture while gaming is just as important as scoring that epic headshot or leveling up your character.

So don't be a slouchy, hunchy, level 1 player - take care of your body and keep on gaming for years to come!

Invest in ergonomic equipment, take regular breaks, stretch and move around, and make sure to use proper posture techniques to avoid aches and pains that can put a serious damper on your gaming experience. Remember, your body is like a controller, you need to take care of it to make sure it can function correctly and let you enjoy your favorite games.

And always keep in mind, “Good posture means good gameplay, and good gameplay means epic wins!”