Posture when playing video games is essential. It’s common to see both kids and adults with a natural postural hunchback when walking around. Bad posture can be a hindrance to physical pain in our daily lives.
Fixing bad posture when playing video games requires users to sit tall, legs bent at a 90-degree angle so the body doesn’t hunch forward. It’s also recommended that the player doesn’t sit still for more than 20 minutes.
Video games are often played for 1-4 hours at a time. With the recent explosion of Twitch and streaming, players may even stream for longer than 4 hours. Sitting with poor posture for hours can have long-term effects on your body.
Why Is Posture Important?
Posture is essential for long-term health. As the human race has gotten more technologically advanced, sitting has become part of our daily routine.
Whether sitting 6 hours a day in school, slumped over at a computer for a desk job, or even watching TV after a long day of manual labor, we’re all exposed to sitting.
The body needs to have a full range of movement to function properly. Bad posture often tightens muscles and restricts everyday movement. Consistently bad posture can even lead to several bad health factors.
According to acatoday.org, a health website that specializes in health & wellness:
Poor posture can lead to excessive strain on our postural muscles and may even cause them to relax when held in certain positions for long periods of time. For example, you can typically see this in people who bend forward at the waist for a prolonged time in the workplace. Their postural muscles are more prone to injury and back pain.
Several factors contribute to poor posture–most commonly, stress, obesity, pregnancy, weak postural muscles, abnormally tight muscles, and high-heeled shoes. In addition, decreased flexibility, a poor work environment, incorrect working posture, and unhealthy sitting and standing habits can also contribute to poor body positioning.
Posture is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle from a movement standpoint. If you’re an athlete who enjoys playing video games (which most do), you’ll want to be aware of your posture. For example, according to clevelandclinic.org:
- Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly.
- It helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis.
- Decreases the stress on the ligaments holding the joints of the spine together.
- It prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions.
- It prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy.
- Prevents strain or overuse problems.
- Prevents backache and muscular pain.
- Contributes to a good appearance.
Athletes With Bad Posture
Athletes with bad posture or sitting habits can “lock up” specific muscle groups that can restrict movements. If you’re speed training for football or using ladders to increase your foot quickness, range of motion, and how the body reacts to every movement.
Limiting the range of motion can shorten stride lengths and lead to muscle pulls. Athletes with bad posture or sitting habits can “lock up” specific muscle groups that can restrict movements.
If you’re speed training for football or using ladders to increase your foot quickness, range of motion, and how the body reacts to every movement. Limiting the range of motion can shorten stride lengths and lead to muscle pulls.
Most players will sit as Ninja does in the photo above. Slightly leaned forward (kyphotic) with both shoulders slumped forward with a forwarding head posture. Players with good eyes will often have a non-aggressive forward lean; on the other side, players with bad eyes may squint and get closer to the screen.
The lower half of the body is often stuck at the chair height, whether on the ground or in a mid-level chair. We lock our hips into this one position for hours, only getting up to go to the fridge or the bathroom.
Referencing the football player or non-eSport athlete, the hips being locked up for this long will result in a short range of motion. At the bottom of the article, we have ways to help loosen the hips up and ways to stay flexible during hours of gaming.
See Our Complete List Of Helpful Gaming Articles Here.
What Is Good Posture When Gaming?
Having good posture relies on a few key components that, over time, can help improve your lifestyle. Instead of trying all of the items listed below, pick one or two off the list and work your way up.
Here are different ways to improve your sitting, according to clevelandclinic.org, which can help improve your sitting lifestyle:
- Sit up with your back straight and your shoulders back. Your buttocks should touch the back of your chair.
- A small, rolled-up towel or a lumbar roll can help you maintain the normal curves in your back.
- Sit at the end of your chair and slouch completely.
- Draw yourself up and accentuate the curve of your back as far as possible. Hold for a few seconds.
- Release the position slightly (about 10 degrees). This is a good sitting posture.
- Distribute your body weight evenly on both hips.
- Bend your knees at a right angle. Keep your knees even with or slightly higher than your hips. (use a footrest or stool if necessary). Your legs should not be crossed.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor.
- Try to avoid sitting in the same position for more than 30 minutes.
- At work, adjust your chair height and workstation to sit up close to your work and tilt it up at you. Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, relaxing your shoulders.
- When sitting in a chair that rolls and pivots, don’t twist at the waist while sitting. Instead, turn your whole body.
- When standing up from the sitting position, move to the front of the seat of your chair. Stand up by straightening your legs. Avoid bending forward at your waist. Immediately stretch your back by doing ten standing backbends.
The effect that bad posture can have on your body is long-lasting. To put it into a visual, your head weighs roughly 12 pounds. When slouching or hunched over, gravity comes into play and adds even more weight than your back and spine have to support.
Below is a fantastic image from ABC that demonstrates the lasting effects.
Good Posture Playing Console & Mobile Games
So, how does this work with playing console games? Playing console games, mainly Fortnite or any storyline game like Grand Theft Auto, can tie a player in for hours.
Applying the principles above, find a comfortable chair to play in that supports the back and spine. Gaming chairs or chairs with lumbar support are great when the player applies the appropriate posture.
Good Posture Playing PC games
Hunching over at a computer differs from the poor posture a console player can endure.
If a player is gaming on a laptop, they may experience the opposite of a hunchback, but their hips and shoulders are rolled forward. In both cases, it’s essential to ensure the shoulders are pulled back and the spine/head is upright.
How To Fix Tight Muscles When Gaming
Playing video games can help alleviate some pain for players with aching muscle pains by correcting their posture. Before every gaming session, there are a few things that you can do (it’ll only take a few minutes, or even when the game is loading).
Foam Roll
If you don’t have a foam roller, buy one immediately! It helps to break up the fascia and the soft tissue, causing the tight muscles. Rolling out your legs and upper back is a great way to unwind the muscles and stay loose. Foam Rollers are incredibly cheap and can be found here on Amazon.
Lacrosse Ball
Don’t play lacrosse, no worries! Use any tennis ball or hardball to help break up some muscle tissue. Like how you would use a foam roller, use the ball to hit hard-to-reach places like your pectoral muscles or the scapula. Use a doorway or wall to impact those hard-to-reach with a foam roller significantly. A rug or a soft ground surface may not have the same feel as using a wall or doorway.
Static Stretching
Doing a simple static stretch can help stretch and lengthen the muscles conducted while sitting all day. Touching your toes for a ten count and sitting on the ground to stretch your legs and lower back will help loosen up the muscles.
What Is Considered Bad Posture?
Having your shoulder and back hunched over is considered a lousy posture. If your head leans forward and is not stacked on top of your shoulders, this can result in developing the “hunch back.” Players may also develop a belly-first mentality if they sit with the hips leading and back only touching the chair.
How Does Bad Posture Affect Your Health?
Having bad posture, especially from a younger age, can hurt how your body grows. If it’s trying to grow but has to fight the weight of a 12-pound head against gravity, it will cause a natural “forward posture.”
How Do I Fix My Gaming Posture
Start with one item at a time to begin fixing your posture. Whether having both feet flat on the floor, pulling the shoulders back, or making sure the head isn’t leaning forward, start with one item on our list and take baby steps to ensure better long-term posture.