Though I mostly game in my office chair, little of that is upright against the seatback, with my feet on the floor. A study of kids' gaming postures finds they go to full-on slouch in as little as five minutes.


That's according to a California-based physical therapy firm, as reported by The Bakersfield Californian. The study of 45 kids ages 5 to 15, done in conjunction with Cal State Bakersfield's Department of Physical Education & Kinesiology, watched kids play games for just five minutes. Those sitting in chairs had better posture at the beginning and the end of the five minute session, while kids who sat on the floor exhibited more pronounced traits of bad posture.

That would be a head-leaning forward, rounded shoulders, and the lower back rounding forward as well. Jeff Moffitt, chairman of the CSU-Bakersfield department, said that could lead to posture and back problems later in life.


"Children or adults, the more time they spend in one position, they're more likely to regress to the least energy-demanding position," he said. Moffitt of course recommended that parents notice their kids posture and, of course, nag them about it.

But for adults, you should know that back problems are no joke, and expensive to manage later in life. Take some time to press pause, stretch out, straighten up, and get back to enjoying yourself.

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No Slouching! Study Examined Posture While Playing Video Games [The Bakersfield Californian via Game Politics]