It’s no secret that many people are addicted to video games. A study found that about 17 million people in Australia play video games in one way or another, and at least 5.5 million households have two gaming devices. It doesn’t matter if you’re an avid gamer or a simple game enthusiast. If you spend your free time behind a screen or with a tablet or smartphone in your hands, such a hobby can seriously harm your posture and physical health.

A detrimental habit

All gamers are united not only by their love for video games but also by their risk of serious problems with posture. The point is that immersing themselves in the game, they do not notice how they begin to slouch a lot. When they realize something is wrong, slouching seems quite a natural posture to them, and sitting upright is uncomfortable and inconvenient. That’s how the bad habit appears. Slouching, hunched over, and stooped look conceal many problems, sometimes very serious. And neck and back pain is just the tip of the iceberg.

“Gamer’s neck.”

By this term, we mean the pain resulting from gamers’ uncomfortable positions while gaming. While staring at a tablet or monitor, the gamer slouches drops the shoulders, and leans forward. This leads to weakened neck muscles and strained back muscles, which in turn cause shoulder, neck, and back pain. These problems top the list of gamers’ common complaints. Next are overstretched muscles, nerves, and ligaments.

This is especially detrimental if the gamer spends many hours in this position. Not only fans of multiplayer games or AAA projects complain about long gaming sessions. More and more time in front of the display and connoisseurs of mobile games or iGaming. Online gambling has become so popular that even the best land-based casinos in the world may begin to experience a lack of customers.

IGaming has become a real hit in recent years. Virtual gambling is popular among the inhabitants of most countries in the world. This process is mainly active in the most populous country of India. More and more international online casinos are operating in this market, and almost all of them record the growth of the audience. Our authors studied India1win and discovered that the most significant increase in the number of customers is happening at 1win. 1xBet, Pin Up, and other major online casinos show similar figures. This growth is due to the variety of games and their convenience. And many of the new customers previously did not consider gambling entertainment as an interesting way of recreation at all. But the latest generation of games has made them change their minds.

However, such a hobby has opposing sides. For example, gambling can hurt psychological health. Not to mention the possible development of addiction. Now, the problem with posture is added to the number of these dangers.

The consequences of poor posture

Gamers torture their bodies. Sitting hunched over for long periods causes shoulder and back pain. Because of the rapid and repetitive movements of the wrist, carpal tunnel syndrome develops. Excessive strain on the hand and wrist provokes tendonitis. Intense concentration during long gaming sessions puts strain on the eyes, which subsequently leads to headaches and the development of migraines.

The terms “Nintendinitis” and “Nintendo-neck” appeared in the 1980s, when Nintendo was popular. Physical therapists noticed that more and more patients were coming to them with repetitive strain injuries. The reason for this was the constant pressing of buttons, rapid clicking of the mouse, and fixation of fingers in unnatural positions.

How to keep your posture

The current generation is dependent on technology. Children and teenagers are the last to think about their posture when engrossed in a video game. Against this background, ergonomics began to develop rapidly. Today, you can buy a unique gaming chair or keyboard with a built-in wristrest. However, the first thing remains the correct posture during the game. You need to relax the neck and shoulder muscles; you can not round the shoulders. When sitting in the chair, you should lean back as far as possible so that your back is pressed against the backrest.