Gamers often view their keyboard as the least important piece of the setup—big mistake. A good ergonomic keyboard is essential to endure long gaming sessions, improve performance and avoid injuries.
There are +3 billion gamers in the world
According to GameFid, there are 3.24 billion gamers in the world as of April 2022. That's quite a number, right? If only 1% of them got injured due to gaming, we'd be talking about 32 million people; that's more than the population of Australia.
Indeed, all those gamers are not PC gamers (the number includes console and tablet), but that's a lot of people anyways.
You also have to consider that gaming is the biggest entertainment industry in the world. The global gaming industry is worth $220.79 billion in 2022. It's bigger than the film (81B) and music (23B) industries combined.
Gaming keyboards have barely changed in 30 years
These numbers would lead you to believe that ergonomic keyboards for gaming should play a key role in the industry. But when you look around, there aren't almost any.
Gaming manufacturers don't seem to be concerned about these issues. They are still producing basically the same keyboards we've had for the last 30 years. The only difference is that now they look like an alien spaceship and a dance light ball had a child.
The main reason lies in the fact that developing an ergonomic keyboard is expensive. But also that, if they were to develop an ergonomic keyboard for gaming, they'd be admitting that their other designs are suboptimal and dated.
But let's leave that to the side and focus on what really matters: the importance of using an ergonomic keyboard for gaming.
Gamers can be very picky about their mouse's dpi, the depth of the blacks on their monitor, or the FPS their graphics card can provide. But when it comes to keyboards, the "pickiness" focuses on things like the switches, the looks, the lighting, and, in some cases, the key rollover or NKRO.
The health risks of gaming
Nevertheless, gaming is one of the most strenuous tasks you can perform on a computer. It involves lots of repetitions and very awkward key combinations. And all those are performed by the same hand, over and over again.
Any small posture or stretching problem you have is going to be exponentially increased due to repetition. Even the slightest discomfort will become excruciating pain down the road.
Is this bad for my wrist pic.twitter.com/yvLM0kMzuO
— BBG Calc (@yungcalc) January 7, 2020
Gaming injuries are real, and you don't need to be a pro player to suffer from one. You just need to have a bad posture or habit and spend enough time on the computer.
How to avoid gaming injuries
The way to avoid gaming injuries is prevention. That involves improving your posture and avoid stretching and twisting your fingers and wrists. To that effect, an ergonomic keyboard is fundamental.
What benefits does an ergonomic keyboard offer to gamers?
Split design
Being able to split the keyboard will result in a more comfortable gaming position. Say goodbye to your tilted keyboard and start enjoying a more natural posture. Gain extra space for the mouse moving around the halves.
- Each half adapts to your shoulder's width. This allows you to open up your chest more and avoid slouching.
- Helps prevent injuries caused by ulnar deviation due to your wrist position.
- Detach one of the halves and gain extra space for your mouse.
Fully programable
If every time you download a game, you have to overhaul the commands and spend time finding the right setup, we feel you. Ergonomic keyboards usually come with customizable software that will save you a good chunk of time and gain other benefits:
- Move your keys to more comfortable positions and avoid unnecessary stretches.
- Program your macros to execute combos with one keystroke or bind mouse actions to your keyboard.
Extra thumbkeys
Think about a video game controller. Which fingers execute most of the actions? Yes, the thumbs. In a regular keyboard, your thumbs only press one key, a huge spacebar. Thanks to the extra thumb keys, you can change that:
- Access more keys faster with your strongest finger.
- It's easier to press two keys simultaneously.
Palm support
Gaming sessions are usually long, so you need to be comfortable. Palm rests and palm pads help a lot, as they prevent wrist extension.
So, are ergonomic keyboards better for gaming than regular keyboards?
Absolutely yes. Ergonomic gaming keyboards are better for your health and performance. However, that raises the question:
Why don't mainstream manufacturers offer ergonomic keyboards?
Well, money.
First of all, actual gaming keyboards are cheap to manufacture. They're not very complicated design-wise (they've been the same way for over 30 years), and they're mass-produced to reduce costs.
Second, developing an ergonomic split keyboard requires a significant amount of R&D both for the keyboard itself and the configurator.
Last but not least, there's not a high demand for ergonomic gaming keyboards.
This leads to another question:
Why don't gamers use ergonomic keyboards?
Really. Why? WHY???!!!
It might be a combination of price, herd behavior (we tend to do what we see others do), and prejudices.
It's true that some years ago, ergonomic keyboards were clunky and freaking ugly. But that's not the case anymore.
For example, the Dygma Raise, a fully programmable, split, detachable, RGB keyboard designed with gamers in mind.
Should I get an ergonomic keyboard for gaming?
If you've come this far, you know you have to get an ergonomic keyboard for gaming.
So, what are you waiting for? Visit our store, choose your layout, color, and switches, and get the keyboard in less than a week.
