I’ve lost track of how many of my gaming friends have had to stop playing or give a game up entirely because they contracted some form of injury or pain in their back, hands, wrists or forearms.
Given how much gaming is growing, along with the penetration of computers and smart phones, it’s not likely that the amount of associated injuries will decrease. Fortunately, there are some steps you can enact.
The video, uploaded by StarCraft 2 broadcaster Thomas “JaKaTaK” Labonte, features peformance coach Frank Maas and covers everything you should do when you’re gaming. Namely, that includes what your posture should be like, how you can relax, meditate, deal with emotions, stress, psychosomatic pain, taking micro breaks, what cushions to get, how high your screen should be, and more.
Maas directly references Blizzard’s RTS game in the opening — he helps other professional gamers in SC2 with avoiding injuries and ways to cope physically and mentally with the rigours of competition — but the principles can apply to any game, PC or console.
StarCraft aside, the tips on posture and tension are handy even if you’re just sitting in an office or your desk at home.
How good or bad is your posture? And what steps do you take to make your environment more ergonomically friendly?
Comments
11 responses to “Fix Your Crappy Gaming Posture With This Video”
You’re not my real mum!
My posture at home is absolutely horrid. Usually with one leg tucked up on the chair, twisting and leaning over on my elbow while looking over to one side at my second screen. Or twisting the other way so lean around the corner to look at the TV. Almost never actually sitting properly.
Yeah I’m pretty sure I’ve fouled up my left knee that way.
I’ve moved to a stand up desk at work, best thing I’ve done as I’m a horrible slouch when sitting.
At home I generally only game from the couch with a controller and I mix up sitting and standing. Do that when watching movies or TV too, drives my GF nuts.
I act like this but have never faced the reality until now.
My hips get really sore at the stand up desk after 6 hours. I’m doing something wrong.
Is your desk adjustable? I don’t tend to go that length of time without having a break and sitting. I’ll generally go about 3 hrs standing, 1 hr sitting and repeat.
I would kill for a XBOX One feature that used the Kinect to monitor my posture while I play. XBOX Fitness could use a posture centric series too.
huh… this is actually a really great idea. To the bat xbox feature request page!
Set up a spare monitor from home as a third at work. Was a good decision, means i have a central one for CAD and side monitors for other stuff like drawings, datasheets or design briefs.
They should have linked this article to go with this video: http://kotaku.com/the-injuries-that-are-ending-esports-careers-1718373200
Currently in negotiation with my boss about a more ergonomic setup at work. Have discovered the ideal posture where my back is perfectly aligned and I can relax my hands onto the mouse and keyboard with no stress, whilst being away from harsh fluorescent lighting. I’ve already mounted the monitor on the underside of my desk and ordered a split keyboard to go under each hand. The mattress and pillow are coming tomorrow, just need to pick the manchester.
Stand up desks are sooooo last year. Lie down desks are where it’s at.