Blog - ChairCritics

Chairs are a common piece of furniture that every household, workspace, shops, clinics, etc have. It is a basic need of people and since chairs are so intricate in our everyday lives, manufacturers have come up with a variety of chairs in the past years. These varieties include office chairs, gaming chairs, dining chairs, etc. This article discusses and compares two such types of chairs. These are gaming chairs and office chairs. From their names, it can be predicted that gaming chairs were designed to keep gamers comfortable while they are at their game. And office chairs, on the other hand, are made in a way to adjust to the need of people working in office spaces or work from home. Whether a person identifies himself as a gamer or just an office worker, the choice of chair they sit on makes a great difference and affect their work/game as well. A person could identify as both even, a gamer and a worker. Now, it may get confusing sometimes if you are not aware of these types and their benefits. In the case of gamers, it is usually seen that they are often very confused as to which chair should they prefer. Should it be a common office chair or a professional gaming chair? Because gaming isn’t really considered as a profession but people do tend to spend a lot of time gaming. Office seats come in a lot of varieties, especially the latest trend of ergonomic chairs which promote the well-being of the people by having the chair designed in a manner to take care of our body posture and blood circulations. However, it is not necessary that these chairs have to be rigid for their purposes. This means gaming chairs can be alternatively used as office chairs or for normal sitting and for relaxing purposes and vice versa. This article on gaming chair vs office chairs sheds light on their advantages and disadvantages and gives you clarity on which chair to buy if you are making up your mind to purchase one. Gaming Chairs Gaming chairs might sound fancy and extraordinary by the name and for the purpose, they have been introduced. But in reality, they look like casual chairs that have been designed to provide support to your body while you are playing games. It basically facilitates sitting on the chair for long duration without facing any discomfort. Some features which gaming chairs generally offer are: high rise backrest, recline features, cushiony seats and armrests, headrests to support the neck. The features mentioned are found in other chairs as well but with slight differences so that the variety and variability remain intact. Gaming chairs come with certain types within them. Some are: video rocker, racing seat, bean bag chairs, racing simulator, pedestal chair, etc. The backrest in gaming chairs is designed in a way it supports your spine and doesn’t let any kind of strain be caused. It offers good lumbar support to facilitate gaming for long durations. Padded backrest makes it all the more comfortable to sit on the hair. This makes the chair ergonomic in nature. Headrests come as a piece of necessary equipment for gaming chairs to support the head. Some chairs have cushioned headrests to allow more comfort. The support which headrests provide enables the gamer to play at ease while not straining their necks. Hence, we see that it is important for a gaming chair to be ergonomic in nature to take better care of one’s health without having to do any physical activity for the same. Office Chairs Office chairs are chairs that are built to fit into formal work settings. Earlier they used to be like any other normal chair with a steady back and padded seats. But with time and increasing importance on the health of people and also due to technical advancements, these chairs evolved. They started having features like recline systems, 360 swivel, padded armrests, backrests, lumbar support to caress your spine, wheels at the base, etc. thus, office chairs turned ergonomic because people tend to work for long hours in offices. They have a sleek and professional look to them. GAMING CHAIR V/S OFFICE CHAIRS ARE GAMING CHAIRS BETTER THAN OFFICE CHAIRS? There is not much difference between the two. Office chairs might as well be used as gaming chairs. However, the same can’t be said for the other way round because of their different exterior look. Gaming chairs have a more stylish gamer look with colour variations, etc whereas office chairs are more subtle and mono-coloured. But that doesn’t compensate for the benefits of a gaming chair. It has the same ergonomic nature of an office chair and to add to it, comes with more cushion. So the question raised in this section is very subjective in nature. But if we have to answer it in a general basis, office chairs which are primarily designed to address comfort and then the looks, on the other hand, gaming chairs are designed to look cool and secondly provide comfort. Hence, it all depends on you what fits your criteria well. WHY DO MOST PEOPLE USE OFFICE CHAIRS INSTEAD OF GAMING CHAIRS? Few argue that office seats are relatively better than gaming seats with regards to ergonomics. Most office seats don't prioritize looking cool and fancy, unlike gaming seats which focus more on the outer appearance. The facilities of recline which gaming chairs provide give immense relaxation to its users, as you are able to stretch yourself and take a break from working. It supports your body curvature and provides excellent lumbar support. Office chairs too come with such properties but maybe in a less intense manner. Gaming chairs are reviewed as a little sturdy then office chairs to help you maintain an upright posture while gaming. People prefer office chairs more because they are simple to work with. To elaborate on this, what we are trying to say is office chairs come with simple backrest, fixed armrests (though new modern techniques have made it possible to flip up the armrests as well), a headrest and casters at the base. People won’t feel awkward or confused when sitting for the first time. It comes with simple mechanics. For gaming chairs, if they were to be installed in such formal spaces, people would be rather intimidated with its outlandish style. It looks informal and with colour combinations and other factors, people might be uncomfortable while sitting on it. It would take some time to get used to sitting on fluffy gaming seats than the normal lightly padded office seats. HOW TO PICK THE MOST SUITABLE CHAIR? The most suitable chair is the one that fits your criteria. If you find the specifications you want for your chair in either of these office chairs or gaming chairs you should definitely purchase it. It is also true that not everything can be found in one chair itself because each kind of these chairs have there own advantages and disadvantages, but it is possible to satisfy your taste by choosing the one which satisfies most of your wants. We too have come up with certain pointers that will provide you with clarity of your choice. Cushioning or Padding of the seat and strength of the casing are important considerations. A gaming chair has more fluffy cushions to support your back and spine. It also comes with padded armrests to prevent fatigue in the arms. The cushions reduce stress on your lower back and legs and thus regulate good blood circulation. Office chairs are not cushiony and are just lightly padded. Though this does not mean that it hampers your blood circulation or muscles, it just may feel a little less cozy as compared to gaming chairs. Gaming chairs since providing with recline features, etc tend to have a stringer casing and a high-quality metal infrastructure than an ordinary office chair. Office chairs in general have constrained flexibility. They offer catered wheels for mobility in a workspace and sometimes in higher models do have recline features. But usually, since a workspace demands an active posture, people refrain from purchasing chairs with recline. Flexible armrests are another striking feature of gaming chairs. They allow the person to flip up the armrests to let loose your elbows for some time or help you sneak out of compact spaces easily by just flipping up the arms. Very few models of office chairs provide you with a flexible armrest. Cost plays a major role in determining the features of a chair. For example, less expensive gaming chairs may not have recline, flexible armrest features but successively higher models include all of these features. And in a directly proportional equation, the prices tend to rise. The same condition goes with office chairs. The expensive models provide you with all the fancy features that the gaming chairs provide. The importance of backrest is a huge factor that should be taken into consideration when deciding which seat to choose. Both office seats and gaming seats provide with recline features of the backrest (selective models). The angle of recline may differ for types and from product to product. Gaming chairs provide recline up to an angle of 135° whereas office chairs that have recline option provide up to 110°. Ergonomic nature of the chair is a top-notch priority if you want to keep good health. A gaming seat generally comes structured with high straight backrest and includes a movable lumbar. The high rise backrest helps you maintain a straight backbone and thus paves way for a good healthy posture. As for office chairs, they have come up with ergonomic properties but still lag behind in certain aspects like having a headrest to support the head and neck and often come with thin padding. Though expensive advanced models have been able to inculcate these properties lately. Being ergonomic has its advantages, it helps regulate blood circulation and oxygen supply in the body. It prevents fatigue and keeps you going for long hours. However, regardless of whether it is a gaming or an office seat, a seat/chair should offer an ergonomic structure and should be comfortable for you. If you are a gamer then you would definitely want to invest in a high-quality gaming chair and if you are a workaholic having a flexible ergonomic office chair is a must. Another factor that you would like to keep in mind is the usability of the chair. If you are going to use the chair for longer periods of time and on a regular basis, it is advisable to look out for a high-quality product which is wear and tear-resistant and also which has a longer warranty period. WHICH IS WORTH IT? In a very general sense gaming chairs cost more than office chairs. But this is just a simple generalization. It has been seen that lower to middle range gaming chairs range between 300-500 dollars whereas the office chair tends to be cheaper. However, the tables turn when it comes to the high-level office and gaming chairs. Office chairs are found as twice expensive than a gaming chair. The higher end of an office chair can go up to 1500 dollars whereas, for a gaming chair, it does not cost more than 800 dollars. You might wonder, is buying such an expensive office chair worth the money? or is switching to the highest level gaming chair is a better option? Well, to make this simpler, an office chair of the highest order has exceptional quality and features and truly justifies the price. It envelops all height adjustment, recline, lock systems, and flexible armrests besides its typical feature of wheeled base and swivel. For the highest order gaming chair, it provides you all the fancy features too but maybe behind the office chair in quality. But if your budget doesn't permit an expensive office chair, you can go for the gaming one and if you are on a low budget, you can prefer mid to low range office chairs. WHAT IS ESSENTIAL WHEN BUYING A CHAIR? We can make a few general assumptions when it comes to buying a chair. Mentioned in the previous sections as well, we should keep in mind that the chair offers lumbar support, gentle padding, a headrest. Also, some added features that would be welcome in your chair are height adjustable systems, lock systems, swivel functions, reclining facilities etc. If we assume that you are somebody who enjoys gaming a lot, hence it is very important for your health to get a gaming chair. If you are looking for a chair that best fits your work environment, simply get an office chair. Most gaming seats come outfitted with more flexible alternatives than the office chairs. The natural tall-built of the gaming chair gives an added advantage to it at the time of purchase. Until and unless your office has height adjustable systems, you may prefer a gaming chair with the extra height because supporting your neck is as necessary as your back. This also applies to headrests. Most office chairs don’t have headrests which may strain your neck due to lack of support. In such cases, gaming chairs have an upper hand. From an ergonomic point of view, sitting in a reclined chair while engaging in professional duties doesn’t leave a good impression. but for a gamer, the ability to be able to recline gives them more comfort as they can simply relax on the chair or take a break. This is another up hand that a gaming chair has over the regular office chair. An office seat may still come up with flexible armrests and in higher models with height adjustable features to accommodate people with varying heights. Here is a brief summary of essentials in a chair in general: Lumbar support Compatibility with varying heights Headrest Armrests Padded seats and armrests Irrespective of the type of chair, these features are a must in every chair. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GAMING CHAIR VS AN OFFICE CHAIR? Gaming seats have a unique look and appearance. They are designed to give a stylish outlook to the buyer and the gamer. Gaming chairs offer added goodies like Bluetooth connectivity, LED lights, 4D armrests even to make your experience on the chair more admirable. Office seats do not provide such features. They are more concerned with the comfort of the user and to facilitate working for long hours without getting tiresome. Hence, we can clearly see that both chairs fulfill their purposes. Gaming seats are exclusively made for gaming enthusiasts and therefore are in stark contrast with office seats. Both the seats aim to provide comfort to their respective users. But comfort for both of these chairs is expressed in different ways. For gaming seats, it means fully padded seats with extra pillows for the headrest and armrests even. For office seats, it lights padding and focusing more on the ergonomics. The features of gaming seats as explained in the previous sections have been inculcated in them to give you better gaming experience. An office chair can also function as a gaming chair if you are an occasional gamer or you tend to play games during breaks at your office. Each kind of chair has a purpose to serve and though their functions overlap frequently, if you stress on a particular element then you have a better vision of choosing the right chair. Nowadays, organizations are attempting to formulate models than serve the purposes of both gaming and office chairs. That would make things way easier or the customer, won’t it? Because as already mentioned, office chairs are used by people as gaming chairs so why not have both the come up with chairs serving both purposes- a multi-tasking chair! Such models can really help in saving you money which would have otherwise been spent on two chairs (if you wanted both) and also can reduce all the confusion on choosing one between them. Overall, one is made for gamers and the other is made for workers. Both these chairs offer comfort in their own way and provide a great ergonomic structure in their own possible ways that promote an effective workspace or gaming set up. Rephrasing what has already been mentioned earlier, if you are searching for a striking, and hustling style seat to fit into your gaming zone, settling on a cool gaming seat is the right decision for you. But if you are searching for a less difficult seat for your home office you may likewise approve of a quality office seat. In the end, your choice matters! CONCLUSION Which one is more comfortable? Which one will satisfy your needs and wants at the same time? Gaming chair or office chair? You can make your own inferences depending on al the arguments stated above. Both serve different purposes but that doesn’t restrict them from overlapping their functionality. This means if you don’t have a choice or if you have to settle for any one of them for reasons like money, then be it an office or a gaming chair, you will have to put it to use for both purposes. In this comparison of gaming chair vs office chair, it is up to you who decides which one wins. Individually these chairs have a lot of models with varying prices, and for obvious reasons lower price models dispensing fewer features than upper-class models. Hence, before purchasing one, be sure of the budget so that you can be aware of the facilities that you can avail in the choice of your chair. Another factor that can be added to this is, for the same price range a gaming chair can provide you with a feature that the office chair won’t or vice versa. In such situations, you may want to ignore the label of gaming or office from the chair and focus on fulfilling your criteria.