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Gaming chairs often get a lot of stick. But, people still continue to pour impressive amounts of money into them, year after year. So, that got us thinking – are gaming chairs worth it? Or have we all just been conditioned to want them because they look impressive?

We wanted to look into how gaming chairs are made, and if they can actually improve your gaming or even your health. I set myself the task of learning everything I could about gaming chairs for this very article, and let me tell you – I’ve learned a lot.

As someone who doesn’t own a gaming chair (I think I’m the only one in the office who hasn’t managed to snag one yet), I was going into this article completely blind. But, I was first in line to try out every chair that came through our doors recently and enjoyed hours of comfortable sitting while I dove headfirst into research mode.

What Makes The Perfect Gaming Chair?

Let’s start by looking at what makes the perfect gaming chair. When you’re choosing a new gaming chair, there is a huge list of factors to consider – some more important than others.

Comfort

Obviously, one of the important factors to consider when choosing a gaming chair is how comfortable it is. The chances are you’re going to be parking your behind in it for a good chunk of time, so you need to make sure it’s providing enough comfort to keep you well focussed on gaming rather than the creeping numbness in your backside.

Gaming chairs have been built with comfort in mind – manufacturers are well aware that us gamers have no time limit when it comes to smiting the Alliance in WoW, or blundering through battle royales in Fortnite – which also ties into ergonomics

Does the chair have enough lumbar support? Is it designed for someone of your height and build? Are the armrests adjustable? There are a lot of ergonomic factors that can harm your alignment when you’re sat down. Gaming chairs are meant to combat these and keep you comfortable for as long as possible, so make sure that’s what they’re doing.

Mesh – Mesh definitely isn’t winning any beauty contests. However, thanks to its high level of breathability it does do a better job of keeping you cool and sweat-free as you game – and the lightweight material can often be a positive for some.

Style

If you’re buying a gaming chair, chances are you care about your gaming setup’s aesthetic. So style really does play an important part in the selection process. We’ll delve a little deeper into the different styles of gaming chairs further down. But, the most common types are PC gaming chairs, racer chairs, rockers, and pedestal gaming chairs.

Finally, we have durability. Gaming chairs are, historically, pretty expensive. So, you want to make sure you’re going to get as much life out of it as possible. The durability of a chair is impacted by a few different factors: the material, construction, style, and usage.

Fabric chairs tend to be the most durable material, and PC gaming chairs usually outlive the other styles. But, how you use it, and how you care for it, are just as important. Take the time to learn how best to keep your chair in tip-top condition, and you’ll extend the lifespan quite considerably with very minimal effort.