Poll: Is PC gaming worth the discomfort?

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FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
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Disconfort is an issue that you PC gamers will have to square with yourselves. Me? I'm waiting for The World to come out. THEN, I'll join you.
 

Unia

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Jan 15, 2010
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Silly poll is silly. Personally, my hands are too small and dainty for comfortably using something like an xbox controller, so I consider PC gaming more comfortable.
 

instantbenz

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Mar 25, 2009
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My hands tend to go numb when I lay down and play on a console with a controller. PC gaming with a keyboard and mouse is quite alright to me.
 

MurderousToaster

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Aug 9, 2008
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I have my leather, padded swivel chair that can also recline. I use it for both PC and console gaming.

Not only that, but it's presumable that the vast majority of people sit in chairs while playing console games, too. Frequently the same chair, moved slightly across a room. It's rather odd, in fact, to spend your entire console gaming time lying down.
 

MetallicaRulez0

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Aug 27, 2008
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I sit in my PC chair to play my 360 as well, although I lean back and prop my feet up against the TV stand so it's slightly more comfortable...

Honestly my discomfort with PC gaming comes from sore arms more than sore back or ass or whatever. I get tendonitis fairly quickly if I play PC games too long.
 

demoman_chaos

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May 25, 2009
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I have never had any problems of comfort while using a PC. A comfy chair with a back is far better than laying down.
 

Hawgh

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Dec 24, 2007
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Why would I be discomforted by using a PC? I admit that laptops can become a bit strenuous to use in the long run. But otherwise, I don't find computer controls more uncomfortable than console(though I only have an xbox, so it may be that they're just equally uncomfortable and I am unknowingly living in a comfort-free hell).
 

TimeLord

For the Emperor!
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Aug 15, 2008
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I use a laptop for gaming and use a massive beanbag to sit on.

Safe to say in very comfy thanks.
 

Johnny-Natrium

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May 23, 2010
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Um, most of the time I AM layed down. Actually right now I'm in my bed. It works perfectly well with my mouse, which you don't have to move, but there's this ball that you move with your thumb. I've always found this mouse to be much nicer for gaming, even before I started using it away from my desk. So that argument is busted.
 

Vrach

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Jun 17, 2010
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moretimethansense said:
Vrach said:
moretimethansense said:
So the act of sleeping causes permenant injury to the spine?
News to me.
Sorry, I really don't mean any offense by this, it's just a phrase, but are you being intentionally thick? Cause I never mentioned sleeping for a moment, much like the poster you previously quoted never mentioned it being worse, creating the same situation twice and leading me to think you're intentionally trying to pull an argument out of nowhere, and what we're talking about is some pretty basic general knowledge to begin with so I'm starting to get a feeling that you're just trolling (and the OP isn't really screaming otherwise).

But to humour you, yes. Lying in bed all day when you're not sleeping is unhealthy to your spine. Sort of like taking pain killers when you're not in pain, taking antibiotics when you're not sick is bad for your health and performing defibrillation on a person who's heart is beating fine is not generally recommended, even if they are used for good purposes at other times.

Sitting all that time isn't great either, but yes, it is better than lying down. It's generally why people sit more than than lie down when they're not sleeping or ill (or well, having sex or doing other activities that necessitate or are better/more easily/commonly performed while lying down).
I merely pointed out that you said that lying down damages your spine, obviously never getting up would do you some harm(though bedsores are likely to come first) you did't say that, you said that lying down would do the job, had you said lying down constantly, I'd have agreed and not brought it up.

However most people don't spend every minute of every day playing games (I do but then I'm sad like that) so it wouldn't really be an issue for most people, besides I don't know about the rest of you but my back always hurts more after six hours of sitting still playing games than after eight hours lying down.
That wasn't me you were initially quoting and yes, lying down does "damage" your spine. It doesn't damage it in the sense of getting beat on with a crowbar, it damages it because it weakens the back muscles over time, effectively leading to poor posture and a progressively worse spine.

And yes, the case of this IS worse than that in the chair. You know how you can't fall asleep sitting up on your own on a bar stool cause you'd end up flat on your face when you'd lose consciousness? Yeah, that's cause your muscles are working to keep your back propped up. So unless you're completely laid back in your chair (and even then bed=worse), your muscles are getting some small amount of exercise, which is not the case when you're lying down and are completely relaxed. That's actually why you hurt after sitting down for hours, pain is not a bad thing, it's there to tell you "go for a fucking walk or something" (and "move a bit so you don't die of DVT" :p ) and it's unable to do that if your muscles aren't doing anything in the first place (although I remember extensive lying down in bed causing me to have a really high feeling of anxiety and inability to relax/sleep after a while because my body was never remotely tired - you might just be used to this to the point where you don't feel it, which, again, is not a good thing). Furthermore I am again 99% positive your position for playing from bed is much worse for your spine than it would be in a chair.

I can also tell you this from experience as I was bedridden for several months a few years back due to an illness and came out much worse for the wear afterwards. A few months after getting up and about I was chucking a medicine ball and the movement strained my back to the point where I ended up in the emergency center by the end of the day. Another incident in the same avenue happened when I climbed a high wall to pick up a stray tennis ball, pretty much same result. No actual physical injury in either case, just the body being too shit to perform normal functions. You might not notice it if you're never physically active much, but trust me, your body is getting less capable over time if you've got your ass glued to your bed and it's not even remotely healthy in any shape or form.

Not sure of your chair gear btw, but there are some massively comfortable ones. Mine's good for the spine due to the shape (forces a straight back), is an office chair allowing you to move about and is just well... comfortable :p And btw that's coming from another person who spends a lot of time at the PC as I spend a lot of time gaming as well and study programming, so unless I'm out somewhere, my ass is sat at the computer.
 

Ensiferum

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Apr 24, 2010
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I don't understand. I've been gaming on a PC for 16 years and I've never found it uncomfortable. For me console controllers are uncomfortable because I'm less used to them.
 

Sikachu

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Apr 20, 2010
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Twuk said:
Let's face it, PC gaming is uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, there are many games I prefer on the PC to consoles, but I feel as though the only reason I don't play for longer periods of time is because I can only stand to sit in a chair for a little while, especially at night. It's not like my chair is uncomfortable either, I would just rather lay in bed and play games. Is getting what is usually favored as the "better" gaming experience worth sacrificing our comfort?
Who can't use a mouse if they're lying down? Not trying hard enough. Also, you should just get a better desk chair - my favourite position for chilling while playing is two feet on desk, chair leaning most of the way back, keyboard in lap and mouse on table. If you're not really competing, it doesn't matter what position you're in. If you are competing, on the other hand, you'll sit up straight even on the sofa...
 

ChaoticLegion

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Mar 19, 2009
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WrongSprite said:
This chair is damn comfortable...I really don't see the issue.
This was my first thought when I saw the OP. My computer gaming chair is very comfortable and I can happily sit there for many hours at a time (whether working or gaming) and have absolutely no comfort issues what so ever.
 

moretimethansense

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Apr 10, 2008
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Vrach said:
I'm sorry for getting posters confused, it was about 3:30 am here when I posted that.

And I'm fully aware that never moving will cause muscles to atrophy but as I (think) I said earlier lying down for a few extra hours a day most likely won't be all that bad for your back, as you said if you get up and walk about a bit your getting the exercise it needs.
Even though I said I sped all day in bed I don't simply lie there stock still, I tend to move around, shift position regularly and get up to "pace" now and then, but perhaps that's just me, I'm kind of an oxymoron I'm incredibly lazy but completely restless, the thing is when I'm using my PC on a desk I tend to lean forward and not really move so my back locks up after a particularly long session, I simply find this setup more comfortable.
If you've found a way to play at a desk with comfort then more power to ya, it's just with the way I sit a good chair would only be helping my arse stop going numb.

And yeah, if I actually don't get out of bed at all I tend to get a little restless myself.

Also, it sucks about the bedridden thing, I spent about two years not moving due to depression, when I came round enough to get out of bed I found that I could barely walk, mostly because I'd gained about a foot in height without realising it though.

To end I'd just like to say the OP asked whether PC gaming was worth having to sit at a desk, or if you preferred lying down with a console, I gave a third option that's all, it's not as though I was saying "disregard movement, acquire gamerscore or something.
 

SovietX

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Sep 8, 2009
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I dont really feel comfortable or uncomfortable. I find it hard to play console games lying down anyway. I sit up at the end of my bed when playing console, and I sit in my old office chair when on the pc. I really cant tell the diference. I think its just you.