Without meaning to sound too cheesy, the Spice Girls said it best, “too much of something is bad enough.” Excessive sitting is no exception, as is excessive standing. If you were to calculate the hours you spend stuck to one idle position everyday, you would come up with around 10 to 12 hours of idle or minimal movement. For gamers, this could go up to 18 hours of sitting everyday, depending on how much time you dedicate to your game daily.
The only way to minimize this number is to change your habits and sit less. This means standing up after two hours of continuous sitting, walking more, or being more active when you’re not at work or away from your consoles. Alternatively, you could make your gaming area more ergonomic, so you can cut your sitting time and make sure you are surrounded by other equipment that can alleviate symptoms brought about by too much sitting.
Standing more and sitting less can benefit gamers directly by reducing neck pains and back aches, as well as improve posture and blood circulation. The end result? Healthier gamers with better focus. You can find out more about the science of too much sitting at your gaming desk here.
Why Stand? — Reasons to Use a Standing Desk As Your Gaming Desk
Improved Focus
According to professionals who have made the switch from standard desks to sit stand desks, one of the most noticeable effects of standing while working has resulted in a heightened level of focus. As expected, when your body enjoys better blood circulation, you tend to think better, feel better, and concentrate on minor details more intently.
But, how about gamers? Shouldn’t this observation be made by someone who actually plays?
In 2012, when Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku shared he had been gaming while standing for two months, his results sparked a lively conversation on standing versus sitting among gamers and other avid Kotaku readers. One of Kirk’s most well-received feedback is that he had been enjoying the new routine. He reports feeling engaged when standing, and went on to say he felt better everyday and “with more energy.”
Increased Comfort and Higher Wins
Everyone wants to be a winner, so why not do everything possible to achieve more?
It’s truly surprising to find people dismiss the benefits of standing despite the results of extensive research and surveys which have shown that standing can improve one’s health and performance. Take it from the 9-5 professionals themselves: simply standing after you’ve stayed seated for a considerable amount of time can make you feel more engaged, increase your level of focus, and make you feel more alert.
While not enough research has been made in the perspective of gamers, it would be unwise to ignore the tremendous amount of data showing how sitting can be dangerous and how standing while working can alleviate some of its dangers.
