Throne of Games

https://reallifemag.com/throne-of-games/

by antigizmo • 6 years ago

45 27 6 years ago

I like these somewhat exaggerated readings of the extremes of consumer culture, were the central conceit is to read ads as if it's serious and ignore the centuries of context that tells us that a sales copy is so much bullshit.

I mean, it takes a very determined mind to come up with a sales pitch for that ridiculous scorpion chair outside of a sci-fi set, it doesn't look like something you easily get out of to got to the toilet.

Tade0• 6 years ago

Also it's probably not built to last - otherwise it would cost a fortune(not that the $3k+ isn't already a lot, but the closest thing to this that I can think of - a dental chair - usually starts at twice the price).

bkemmer• 6 years ago

Also, it looks very fragile.

mcv2• 6 years ago

Sure, that scorpion chair is utterly ridiculous, but man does it look cool. And a chair that switches between upright and reclining position, while adjusting the position of your screen to match; I can certainly see the attraction in that.

speeder• 6 years ago

When I looked at that chair my reaction was...

Hey, I saw this on HN some days ago!

Yep, another guy made a "lay down desk", and explained his reasons that the only way to make it work right was with a scorpion-like design.

The scorpion-chair looks like a industrialized version of the "lay down desk" wooden "prototype".

Danieru3• 6 years ago

I was trying to think why mid way the article links to an online casino. Then I remembered how many years ago I took a couple hundred dollars to drop a similar link.

Yes that's right, I think this entire article was written and financed by that one link.

Online casinos need seo juice. They will pay for semi relevant links in blog posts written for such a purpose.

As you can see, none of this is related to gambling itself. The casino just wants website quality points, they have a budget and the author had something to say.

throwanem3• 6 years ago

I think you're giving the author too much credit, both for the quality of the work and for the rate of pay. But I'm glad you talked about the grift; I hadn't spotted it.

Danieru3• 6 years ago

I think you'd be surprised.

Full disclosure: maybe 10 years or so ago I took 250CAD to write a buff article and link to an online casino. I removed the link the instant the 1 year I promised expired. Still, even for a low rank site they paid what to a university student was good money.

For a proper writer their budgets are no doubt higher. For an article capable of going viral (as it is now on HN), no doubt they have budgets in the thousands.

It seems silly, and no doubt it is, but I would be willing to bet that the author of this article even wrote the article he linked to.

Perhaps the most fun aspect to contemplate: this is an example of a journalist with something to say financing said writing as a byproduct SEO warfare between an entirely not-news industry.

The casino is not even advertising for the purposes of getting customers. The only reader the casino cares about is GoogleBot.

unnouinceput• 6 years ago

Ha ha and more ha! Joke's on the website then. My uBlock Origin made sure that link is invisible for me.

Danieru3• 6 years ago

That's the fun part! Only the GoogleBot's view matters. Its an AD; for robots!

mcv2• 6 years ago

I recently got my son a chair from DXRacer. When homework due to Corona first started, one of the first things I did was to buy a proper Herman-Miller office chair for myself. He immediately wanted one too, but splurging $1000 on a fancy chair for my son was a bit much, so instead he got a much cheaper gaming chair, and he now considers it a better chair than mine.

I'm totally aware it lacks the range of motion my chair has, though.

yakattak• 6 years ago

I went from a DXRacer to an Aeron. The DXRacers are actually pretty comfortable for long term sitting and the lumbar support pillow was helpful for my back. However, since the switch my back has been much more comfortable sitting for longer periods of time now. I do miss the ability to lie my head back though.

heliophobicdude• 6 years ago

There are those expensive head rest attachments. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005L9ATK6

throwanem3• 6 years ago

The "ultimate outcome" of all "dynamics" is death. Human lives are finite. And with all the very pointed and worthwhile critiques there are to be made of the video game industry, from its labor practices to its exploitation of customers to its constant evasion of legislation and more, it's remarkable this author should do such a poor job of identifying any of them.

naringas• 6 years ago

the author is not talking about (nor reflecting on) the industry which makes the games, if he's refelcting on any industry it's the chair-makers.

the article is really about the gamers and their culture, and even so, it's not really about their culture in general, but about what they sit on.

I am always reminded of wal-e (pixar movie) when reading about this.

throwanem3• 6 years ago

I wouldn't consider "gamers" to constitute a distinct culture, really. Is there meaningful interrelatedness between the Undertale fandom and the Call of Duty fandom, for example? ARMA 3 and Candy Crush? Fortnite and FF7? If we're talking about "gamer culture", we have to be talking about the cultural tropes shared among people who identify as gamers, and for whom that identification constitutes a meaningful part of how they conceive of themselves.

From what I concede is an outside perspective, I've never been able to understand what benefit or value there is in that identification for the people who hold to it; all it seems to do is establish them as members of a specific market segment with the aesthetic taste of an insufficiently socialized eleven-year-old boy. That, and its interaction with the industry that exists to exploit it, is something I would expect to see explored in an article purporting to discuss "gamer culture" in the context of its specifically sedentary aspects, but Gordon appears content merely to brush against the opportunity of such incisive analysis on his way to invoke Cronenberg and Hemipepsis - which leads me to wonder if Lewis Gordon wouldn't really rather have been J. G. Ballard. No shame in that, but if so, he's got a lot of work to do.

It's also worth considering that "gamer chairs" aren't just bought and owned by gamers. A lot of folks I work with have used them to furnish the home offices they've had to set up this year thanks to COVID, because they're marketed as being designed for long periods of sitting, and because Herman Miller and Steelcase and so on typically price in the next higher order of magnitude - a significant point for folks with larger families and less disposable income than, I think, a lot of HN participants, myself included. Such a blurring of categories might likewise be part of an analysis produced by someone willing to invest effort in developing a broader view than Gordon seems to have bothered with.

It's a shame, really. There are hints here at a much better article than the one we've actually gotten to read.

kyuudou2• 6 years ago

What happens when the LARP, Pokemon and VR worlds all collide? I think this is the future of gaming, at least in places with ample acreage.

auto• 6 years ago

After going back and forth on a chair replacement, wanting a Herman Miller like I had at the office, but not wanting to actually pay for a Herman Miller, I ended up picking up an "AKRacing" model on mass drop after watching a ton of reviews.

Coming from a automotive background, here's the thing no one seems to point out about these racing "inspired" gaming chairs (presumably because the people reviewing them have never been in a proper racing seat); the chairs have a similar silhouette to racing seats, complete with the totally unnecessary channels for a chassis mounted five point harness, but they have literally none of the actual supports of a racing seat.

I bought this expecting a pretty aggressive built-in lumbar support, along with tight lateral support berms on seat sides. Instead, they try to makeup for the lack of actual lumbar support with a crappy pillow attachment, and despite being 6ft and ~200lbs at the time of purchase, the seat wouldn't be snug for a person 50lbs heavier than me.

A proper racing seat is meant to keep you in place, and while you obviously don't need to overcome the same forces at your computer that you do while racing around a track, I've got lingering back issues from a lifting injury and spend a ton of time in front of screens; I was expecting something that would keep me snug and in place, and this thing is not it.

These days I'm on the prowl for a cheap Aeron, because now being stuck at home without my office adjustable standing desk, the gaming chair's deficiencies are becoming glaring.

Netcob• 6 years ago

I can't imagine being comfortable in a chair that presses your shoulders forward. Now I'm considering just buying one of those cheap IKEA chairs that I know from work.

I'd like to try a Herman Miller too and see if it's worth the money, but I hear they are not made for tall people (I'm 195cm).

A standing desk would be nice, but I doubt that my desk-mounted bunch of monitors would not be swinging around like crazy while typing, considering those desks usually only stand on two legs.

zrail• 6 years ago

I set up my standing desk with my monitor (a 33lb 43” monster from LG) on a separate rolling tv stand. My desk is a small hand cranked standing desk from Amazon.

It’s far from perfect but it works for now. My next setup will have motor legs for both desks and built-in storage and attachment points on the desk part.

purchasedwinrar2• 6 years ago

From someone who has now owned these in this order. 1. New DXRacer 2. New Ergochair2 3. Used Aeron Classic

I currently use the Ergochair2.

The DXRacer had all the problems you stated, I could never feel like I was comfortable. Sold to a friend.

The Ergochair2 was my 'I want a Herman Miller but I don't want to buy a Herman Miller' purchase. It's comfortable for me, and is the perfect height for my setup. My complaints though are the creakiness, O.K. build quality (all plastic), arm rest are very meh, and no warranty. The flat and somewhat firm cushion is just right for how I sit.

I got lucky on an Aeron Classic, as my Dad's office was throwing it away... I took it home and tried it for 1 month. It was used, but I couldn't seem to get comfortable in it. My thighs felt like they were getting pinched at the base of the chair. I often sit with 1 leg crossed underneath me (weird I know) but this chair is NOT built for this. I feel like this chair was used quite a bit, so I can't speak on a new model. I will say the build quality blows the Ergochair2 out of the water. The warranty is a huge bonus as well. Luckily I gave this to my Dad as his office chair and he loves it vs his 20 year old Office Depot chair.

Sit in what you can, I'm happy didn't buy an Aeron.

bobthepanda• 6 years ago

Which Aeron did you buy? There are three sizes for different heights so it‘s possible you bought one not compatible for you.

khalilravanna2• 6 years ago

I’m always flabbergasted by the prevalence of the “gaming chair”. For one they are almost without exception breathtakingly ugly. A bucket seat in a sports car is a beautiful thing but without that context and purpose it just turns into this garish ulcer in your living room. That’s without adding the “gaming aesthetic” with neon colors and sharp angles that already plagues the gaming peripheral market. The second and more important thing is they’re not even comfortable. I question whether anyone has sat in these before ordering them because you used to be able to (pre-covid) get a used Herman Miller, an actually elegant looking and functional and comfortable chair, for around the same price. I had a guy drop one off in my driveway in Austin 5 years ago for a couple hundred bucks. That “gaming chair” has lasted me many marathon gaming sessions and I haven’t had any back problems or pain afterwards.

Any chance I get I try to steer friends and acquaintances away from these abominations.

hokumguru• 6 years ago

Curious as to what you think about the Herman Miller gaming variant of the Embody? In my opinion, it might be the only decent "gaming chair" that I've seen on the market.

khalilravanna2• 6 years ago

Right I should have specified I was talking about the Aeron.

The Embody is interesting. Up front I’m much more willing to trust a brand like Herman Miller to produce a chair that’s actually functional and ergonomic so that’s a plus. The interesting thing to me is really that they have a regular version and a gamer version and they appear to be really be the same with some minor tweaks (added foam in the seat and different material to help with cooling) and then a bit more flamboyant styling. I will say they actually did a good job with the styling. The original design is pretty subdued and the blue while somewhat aggressive isn’t too over the top and is only really noticeable from the back. I guess then my take is it seems like a reprint with a “For Gamers” sticker slapped on it to try and break into the gamer market. Personally I’d probably buy the plain black one if I was going to buy one but I’d be interested to see a side-by-side comparison from someone to see if those minor tweaks are actually worth it.

Throne of Games

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