With video games starting to dominate recreation time across demographics, furniture manufacturers will need to recalibrate how they think about comfort.
There’s no such thing as a gamer. . .or rather, when everyone is a gamer, that identifier becomes rather meaningless. Last year accelerated what was already runaway growth for the games industry, which surpassed the value of the film and music industry combined a full five years ago. To understand how truly universal gaming has become, simply note that four out of every five US consumers played a video game in the six months to August 2020. Irrespective of age, gender, income or ethnicity, you likely spend some of your time playing computer games (the linked study shows particular growth in the 45+ years bracket).
It's true that, by New Zoo’s analysis, just under half of the market is accounted for by mobile, but that still leaves over 50 per cent of the world’s largest entertainment pie sitting (for the most part) at home in front of a console or computer. It stands to reason that helping them sit as comfortably as possible should be a core concern of furniture manufacturers, but until recently they’ve largely ignored that use case.
That was until last summer, when workplace stalwart Herman Miller finally acknowledged that typing wasn’t the only reason many of their users might want to sit at a desk by partnering with computer accessories brand Logitech on the $1,495 Embody gaming chair. The product features benefits such as ‘Dynamic Pixel Circulation’, which is an over-branded way of saying it’s designed to distribute your weight more effectively during long gaming sessions, thus reducing fatigue and stiffness. The pair has also released a standing desk, again tying in to the health aspects of gaming often overlooked by endemic gaming peripherals brands. Though, their emphasis on ‘performance’ often ends up at a similar result. What is different, however, are the more reserved aesthetics of Herman Miller’s products when compared to the lurid finish of many native products; a definite nod to audience maturation.