Gaming Pillow for Injury Prevention?

If you want to prevent your back and neck from looking like this, then get a gaming pillow

Ok not really but it can help to prevent back and neck pain and increase your comfort while gaming. Gaming pillows are new ergonomic health products new to the space of gaming and there is promise that it can be beneficial for the health of certain populations of gamers.

One of these pillows is Valari (whom I’ve partnered with) which provides custom or standard design pillows of the highest quality. This is truly a need in the space and I have actually recommended regular pillows countless times to console pros and mobile gamers as we all know gamers grind and often forget to think about their physical health.

Do gamers really use pillows while playing?

Zain is currently (as of 8/12/22) the top ranked Super Smash Brothers Melee player in the world and is known for utilizing a memory foam pillow during his gameplay. This image is taken from his tournament victory at Genesis 8. There are many gamers who reach out to us due to their neck, back and shoulder pain with posture / ergonomics being a contributor to their pain. (KEEP IN MIND POSTURE IS NOT THE ONLY CONTRIBUTOR)

This is especially true with console gamers, whether it be fortnite, call of duty, apex legends, we hit that gamer posture, lose track of time because we’re just looking to climb ranks. And then we emerge with a little bit of stiffness.

So how can a GAME PILLOW help with this?

Science Behind Gaming Pillows

Let’s get a little bit into the science and physiology. There have been studies which have shown the combination of slumped postures AND prolonged sitting can lead to an increased risk of back and neck pain.

While the reason isn’t completely clear research suggests that in a slumped or kyphotic posture muscles have to work harder to hold the body up against gravity. This is not only due to the muscle physiology but also due to poor biomechanical leverage (Jung 2021). This might lead to earlier fatigue of the muscles leading to increased stress on tissues at the back

For gamers who often sit for extended periods of time, sleep poorly and have lower levels of physical activity – our muscles and tissues may already have lower resilience. The combination of the posture and the other factors lead to stiffness, aching and occasional pains in the back and neck. What postures do we typically see? The slouched or forward position. This is often due to the desire of players to get closer to their gaming display or not considering their environment in the first place and falling into a suboptimal posture or position. 

This is where the pillow comes in! A pillow provides support to shift a forward lean position to one that is a bit more upright. 

The Forward Lean Position in Gaming