What makes a gaming chair ergonomic? Secretlab Ergonomics Advisory Board member, Dr. Jordan Tsai gives us the lowdown.

Ergonomics refer to the adjustability of a chair to match an individual user’s needs and preferences.

The Secretlab TITAN Evo has 4D armrests that go up and down, in and out, and forward and backward. There’s a full range of adjustability to fit an individual’s shoulder and elbow height requirements. The backrest of the chair is also highly adjustable, with the ability to go forward and back, and comes with a built-in lumbar support that can be adjusted up and down, as well as inward and outward.

That’s really nice because not everyone is built the same and having the adjustability to match your individual needs is really the most important thing.

There are two types of sitting postures:

1. Relaxed posture

This is achieved when you lean back against your gaming chair’s backrest. You’re likely chilling on your computer, watching videos — nothing too active or strenuous.

2. Active posture

This is achieved when you’re engaged in-game, or simply focused at your tasks. I usually recommend that players sit on the front half of their seat and have their feet placed flat on the floor, when in this position. What this does is naturally straighten out your back and neck.

The right gaming chair should allow one to achieve a proper sitting position. It’s critical to find a gaming chair with enough adjustability to accommodate your individual needs.

But even a great chair won’t overcome bad habits or posture. You need to make an effort to regularly stretch and move your back!

Quality gaming chairs provide the comfort and support you need for long hours of sitting — fulfilling what office chairs set out to do and more.

A good gaming chair like the TITAN Evo has a firmer seat base than the mesh seat base commonly found in traditional office chairs. Here’s why:

1. It allows users to alternate between the two postures I previously mentioned — active versus relaxed.
2. It has a firmer seat base. You can sit on the front half of the chair and not feel like you’re falling off from it. It feels supportive and has a gentle slope so it’s comfortable. If I were to sit like this on a mesh chair or a chair with a softer foam seat base (commonly found in traditional office chairs), I would start sliding off. It’s a little too angled and it doesn’t feel very secure.

The lumbar support should hit right in the middle of your back. It should not be down your hips or at your mid back. If we identify that the curvature is where we want our back support, the lumbar support has to match that.

The nice thing about the TITAN Evo is you can adjust the height and the depth of your lumbar support. First, adjust it to the right height (high or low), checking if it’s sitting right at the center where the curvature of your back is. Next, figure out how far in or how far back you want it so it feels comfortable.

You don’t want your lumbar support to be in an overly extended position — if it sits too far out, it can create discomfort. You don’t want it to be nonexistent either or you’ll be rounding your back. Ideally, if you sit with a good neutral back position, your lumbar support should perfectly match.