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Gaming Standing Up


SomTervo
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So, on the basis of this rather good article (I really like Kirk Hamilton despite the shitpot that most of Kotaku is now), I took my TV upstairs, plugged the 360 on a top bar-shelf of a desk, and popped the TV next to it.

 

And I tried gaming standing up.

 

It's really something. The fact that your body is actually doing stuff and not just sitting in atrophy changes things, I found my mind not wearing away and slipping into dullness, I found the longer I stayed standing the easier it was to focus, and the easier it was to get excited.

 

Battlefield 3 was my first test, and the game is so visceral, the movement so shaky and intense, I actually got a bit dizzy standing up. Every time I sprinted forward or round a corner I felt myself leaning into the movement, or slightly falling backwards because I was shifting my center of gravity as I would in the game.

 

It was super cool. Not sure if I'm gonna go back to sitting down. It's really easy to move around while playing, to do other stuff simultaneously. It's easier to get away from the screen. You feel like you're actually doing something, so you make the most of whatever your playing. A lot of the time, when gaming, I just do so to kill some time, and I'm actually pretty bored. If you have to stand, you don't do that. You make sure, while standing, that you're actually getting shit done and gaming while standing feels like that.

 

It's a very satisfying experience, the playing of any game seems a lot more fun when standing. And it's a little bit of exercise. I'm a convert.

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Hah, yeah, part of the reason I tried it is I need a way to force myself out of being lazy.

 

Sucks about the knees, Rev. I found it is a bit uncomfortable for a while, but after a bit you get used to it, the aches/ messed up feet go away pretty good.

 

On PC the only way is to buy a standing desk, or improvise one. It can definitely done (and apparently is great, too) but sure is a bit more awkward.

 

kirksdesk.jpg

 

There is Kirk's image of his standing-PC set-up.

Edited by kenshi_ryden
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This would be cool if I weren't flat footed and hadn't worked over my knees back in college. :(

 

I know this feeling. I had a torn muscle in the back of my left knee (from a work injury) that, while healed, doesn't particularly enjoy it when I'm physically active constantly (and my doctor strongly advised against it because if it gets ruined again, that's that).

Edited by Alex Heat
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Lifehacker has a fair bit on standing desks. I'd give it a shot if it didn't require a fair bit of work to set up that you may find sucks within an hour of use.

 

Yeah, this. With a console you can just do it and see if you like it, but with a computer it's a ton of work and expense and you might hate it.

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