Ever wondered, ‘are gaming chairs worth the money’? If so, you’ve definitely come to the right place! Today, I’ll be talking about gaming chairs, what makes them so expensive, and conclusively state whether or not they are actually worth the money. Let’s not waste any time, and dive right in!
Table of Contents
Gaming Chair Features
Racer Style Design
The majority of gaming chairs on the market use a racing seat-styled design. This means instead of a body akin to an office chair, a gaming chair will most likely use a body similar to a car seat, with a wider profile and enough room for a head cushion. Supposedly, this racing style design also helps prevent fatigue while gaming— it’s certainly more comfortable than a basic office chair.
Additional Cushioning (Head or Lumbar)
Another common aspect of gaming chairs are additional cushions, usually for the lumbar or the head, and sometimes both. These added cushions can help add more back and joint support to the chair than it would otherwise, but your comfort levels with them may vary. Fortunately, they are usually optional and removable, especially on high-end gaming chairs.
Adjustable Armrests
Adjustable armrests are yet another piece of a common gaming chair, including some chairs offering swappable armrests, not just movable/detachable armrests. This feature is also pretty common on office chairs.
Height Adjustment
Another common feature shared by office chairs in gaming chairs is height adjustment. They usually work with the same pneumatic paddle mechanism, too.
Tilt and Recline
Finally, let’s talk about tilt and recline! This feature is particularly common on mid-range and high-end gaming chairs. Supported gaming chairs with the racing style design and this feature allow you to tilt the back of the chair completely flat and lay on it. Other chairs may have a more limited range of tilt/recline, especially for the entire seat rather than allowing the back piece to be laid flat.
Gaming Chair Downsides
A Racing Style Design May Not Be The Best For Your Back
While a Racing Style design certainly looks cool on a chair and provides a lot more range and comfort than entry-level office chairs, they aren’t exactly the peak of ergonomic chair designs. For that matter, while they’re called “racing chairs”, they’re also significantly different from the actual racing seats used in racing vehicles. The “racing” aesthetic is pure marketing, not an example of actual industry crossover.
Gaming Chair Branding Tends To Raise Prices For (Most) Of The Same Features
Another issue with gaming chairs is that, generally-speaking, they’re overpriced for what they offer. As a “Big and Tall” chair shopper myself, I also find that gaming chairs tend to overcharge significantly for increasing height and weight support. Big and Tall chairs are expensive on the office side of things, too, but much moreso with “Gaming” chairs.
What ultimately matters in a chair is comfort and ergonomics for the price, not aesthetics. Mid-range and high-end office chairs pursuing comfortable designs can easily provide a more comfortable experience than a high-end gaming chair, and for less money.
Are Gaming Chairs Worth The Money?
At the end of the day…probably not.
I’m not going to go out of my way to discourage you from getting a gaming chair, especially if you favor the racing design. As long as you’re going to have a comfortable gaming experience, it doesn’t really matter what chair you get— and racing style gets the job done at least well enough to be the market standard for gamers, even if it’s a little over-advertised.
But if you’re shopping for function instead of form and trying to save money…a gaming chair is not my first recommendation. Office chairs and suppliers might seem a little more boring, but remember: a great office chair needs to be suitable for an entire working shift, not just a quick gaming session. Don’t rush to the gaming branding on this one— if you take your comfort seriously, maybe your chair should “mean business”!