Gaming vs. Office Chairs: You Might Not Like This

I've sold office chairs and gaming chairs for years. So I have a unique perspective on both categories.

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Chairs in Video:
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[networkgeekstuff]

Oh god, I recently had an argument with my teenage kids wanting a gaming chair because of some influencer. The effort I spent trying to explain to them why the ergonomic chair that painstakingly get them a year earlier is much more healthy. Background info, I am IT guy that spent 15 years sitting 10-11 hours a day and got bulged disk, don't want that to happen to anyone, especially with my kids and these gaming chairs are enforcing all the bad habits I learned about healthy sitting in the ears of my recovery process.

[adwenger]

As someone who's 37 and can easily sit for 14+ hours a day programming and gaming, my mesh office chair is amazing. I have zero back problems. This video is spot on.

[austinnafziger]

I was also in the same boat a few years ago.Using a crappy Amazon chair that kept falling apart after a year, I wanted something that would last and be better for my back. I ended up figuring that a Herman Miller was the way to go. Very pricy upfront, but a 12 year warranty makes it so it will cost the same or less than replacing all of those inferior chairs. Couple that with the fact that it is super supportive and comfortable in all the right ways. I get zero back pain even after 8 hours.

[winstonsmith]

I came to this same conclusion years ago regarding any product labeled "gaming". In my case it was headphones. Spending $200+ on gaming headphones that never lasted, had no replaceable parts and were generally just inferior to well known audiophile brands. It was well worth and cheaper in the long run to save for a nice pair of headphones. My Sennheiser headphones are going on 12 years old now, can replace the cables, pads etc and just as good as the day I bought them.

[ToyKeeper]

Adding "gaming" to a thing's description usually just means it has a higher price, a fancy paint job, and some impractical design choices.

[michaels]

This is gold for me. I got a remote job and my computer chair works for paying bills, or kids doing homework. All day, it is so bad. I also had a spinal fusion surgery 3 months ago, so that doesn't help. I don't have a big budget yet, but i can probably do a $300 chair for now. Thank you.

[altacalcreative]

I gamed and worked from home on a crappy chair for a long time. I finally invested in a quality chair and I've noticed a huge difference when it comes to comfort. I would say I regret not doing this sooner but truthfully it wasn't something I could afford at the time. I have that Mavix M9 in the video and love it.

[Dukenukem]

Swapped gaming chair for office chair when I needed to sit in it more then 4 hours when on home office. Never looked back. Also the leather imitation is awfull in the summer. The office meshed chair is way more comfortable

[sntxrrr]

I purchased a HM Aeron chair around 1999. Best. Purchase. Ever. It both looks and sits fantastic. And the cool part about a premium chair like this is that I can get maintenance done on it. It's a design classic that is still produced, there are still parts available for it. After 15-20 years the coasters needed replacement (soft rubber will wear away), the plastic lumbar support was torn, a handle had broken off and the mechanism needed readjustment. I had it all fixed and the chair is as good as new after 25 years and I still enjoy it daily for more hours than I care to admit.
In total I think I spend less than 2000 euros over 25 years for top quality seating that will probably last me another 25, absolutely worth it.

[logan]

For years I wanted a gaming chair... now that I finally decided to spend some money to upgrade my gaming setup, I don't know what to buy. I did some research and a lot of people are saying NOT to buy a gaming chair. I'm tall and "semi" heavy (110kg). So I was aiming at something sturdy. And that is usally a gaming chair. However... I feel like an office ergonomic chair will simply be more comfortable.

I did some research to decide and now I'm even less decided than before xD

[jarathen]

I don’t know how this concept of a seat meant to cradle people in a moving vehicle somehow became a thing to sell people sitting at home.

[Central_Media]

I bought a gaming chair once...key word ONCE.

[Axeiaa]

I think the main difference is, how many gaming chairs manage to last past say 5 years? Most will have the faux leather peeling, the arm rests failing, the seating going flat etc etc. I'm pretty happy with my GT Omega chair as it seems to about the same quality as any other (steel frame, cold foam etc) but was £220 rather than £300-500. Now after half a decade however the seat is starting to go flat, all the seams in the seating have rippedthrough the faux leather.
To be fair, If I can get another seat for it I'd happily sit in for another half a decade. My sitting posture although not great doesn't result in back aches and seems to work with most chairs. The reason for me to go for an office chair is that they actually seem to last. There's Steelcase and Herman Miller chairs in their 'teens' that functionally are still the same as a new one, and they come with warranties that back that up. Gaming chairs mostly seem to be 2-3 years of warranty (warranty that doesn't cover pretty much everything that will go wrong because they'll write it down to normal wear and tear even when it isn't)

[EmyN]

It’s like how bakeries amp up the price when it’s for a wedding, so pro tip: when buying the food and decoration don’t tell the vendors is for a wedding! It will be much cheaper for the same thing

[AuronFAnatic]

UH.... I must say thank you. After seeing you move the armrest on the Titan chair, I now know that I can adjust them front and back and side to side. I have had mine for over 4 years now and never know it could do that lol. Also I don't find the bucket seat to cause me discomfort at all but to some it might. I have used office chairs before I got my Titan and I will never go back. Being able to adjust the arms to my liking and the sturdier padding of the Titan feel so nice. The office chair I used before made me feel constrained but since it was free, was my folks old office chair, but I hated it so much that I shelled out for my Titan.

[skyshade]

Great video as usual. 2 things to note. Steelcase Amia owner here (love the chair by the way I got in 2011 and it has been incredible.) I still find my self grabbing my gaming chair around once a day for a specific task. I also have an extra one for you guessed it my sim racing setup. After it’s all sim racing I want the realism. So that is a point you could have added it is great for people who sim race and want to feel as close to possible and get as much realism as possible. 2nd point, you noted the full recline function is trash. However that’s the reason I grab the chair. I have a tall padded thing I use as a footrest I lay my feet on it and then use my monitor arm to get my big 49 inch monitor high and pointed downward. I use my full recline grab my controller and play laid back games with my controller laying back in a comfortable position just having a good time. So yes an office chair is so much more comfy, however there is specific occasions where a gaming chair is better, I feel like my 2 situations are the only ones. You could also maybe say for looks but I would still rather just get a cool looking office chair.

[darthplagueis]

Currently using a gaming chair, not because I was specifically looking for one, but because I just tried different chairs within my (very humble) student budget and the one that was most comfortable without going over budget simply happened to be a gaming chair on a discount.

My only complaint is the armrests being made from some kind of brittle plastic which has started falling apart at the seams, leading to me wrapping them in duct tape to keep them together and cover the tears.

[virgilthemob]

I guess mileage may vary. I bought an older Titan with lumbar suport and omnidirectional armrest adjustments before they stopped making them and hiked the price, but considering that my usual seating position is partially reclined, with my feet propped up on the subwoofer under my desk, it definitely does its job and I couldn't really find any office chairs within the same range that suited my particular use case. It also held up remarkably well. Other than the foam on the armrests coming apart from the plastic here and there, it has no tangible damage or heavy wear. That being said, at the current rates I'd definitely look for something else if I ever was to replace it.

[countsmarald]

The fact that so many gaming chairs are these bucket seats infuriates me. I bought a DX Racer Classic XL years ago and love it ... but its getting to its last legs. Been trying to find one that has a high enough weight (At least 350lbs) limit inside a $500 budget and all the chairs I find now are these bucket seat. I have wider shoulders those buckets dig into my shoulder blades. The Classic XL wasnt a bucket, it was more of a SUV seat and it was great, if I could find it new I would buy it again. I've looked for office chairs too, but I constantly find that they either dont have a high back or they dont allow forward tilt so that my knees can be comfortably below my waste.

[aviv]

the problem is office chairs basic angle is 105 degrees compare to gaming chairs who u can choose from 90 degrees to around 170
and i feel like when i game and hard focusing on it, the 90 degrees just feel more focused and into the game
and when i tried office chair, yeah they are alot better in comfrtoable, but i just cant see myself focusing on the game and leaning that far back...
what do u think ?