Before there was such a thing as a well-engineered gaming chair, there was well-engineered office chairs. Committed to making the 9-5 drudgery as tolerable as possible, big names in the office furniture world invested a whole lot of money to create products that promised superior comfort.

Concerned with things like ergonomics and good posture, furniture designers in the 1970s woke up to the science of sitting down. Recognising that being chained to a desk for long periods is bad for the body, they set about creating swivel chairs that helped to prevent the aches and strains that often attend this kind of lifestyle.

Providing plenty of support is something that’s remained a fairly big constant in office chair design. Look at just about any desk chair these days and you’ll notice that in its description it boasts about having adjustable features, breathable materials, and is generally setup to deliver an outstanding sitting experience.

This all begs the question, of course, that if an office chair is great for employees to sit on to work for hours, is it also good for gamers? Specifically, is a workplace icon like the Herman Miller Aeron chair a nice finishing touch for a gaming setup?

To get a solid answer to this question, I decided to spend a few hours playing League of Legends in an Aeron chair, jotting down a few notes after every hour that passed.

This is how it went down.

First Ten Minutes:

Before getting my experiment underway, I spent a few moments checking the chair out. Having seen the chair in a number of TV shows and movies, I was naturally excited to see one in the flesh. There’s no two ways about it: the thing looks amazing. Taking a second to appreciate its sleek black lines and subtle curves, it’s easy to see why there’s one permanently installed in the Museum of Modern Art.

My observations over, I quickly took advantage of the adjustable elements to get nice and comfortable. Tweaking the seat and arm heights, and playing with the tilt tension, I used the handy instruction manual that comes with the Aeron to find a position that maximised my overall comfort.

Once I was dialled in, I set about gaming.

First Hour

In the first hour of my gaming I quickly discovered why the chair is as coveted as it is. Totally self-effacing, I found myself getting stuck in without feeling like the chair was in any way intrusive.

I promised myself in the coming hours that I would consciously turn my attention to the chair in order to produce a more informed review.

Second Hour

Being mindful that I was carrying out a furniture review, I took the time to reflect on how the chair distinguishes itself from similar products.

The most obvious difference was the way that the Aeron provided a flexibility that I hadn’t encountered in the countless office chairs I’ve been strapped to over the years.

Instead of feeling caged in, I found that I was able to stretch out and feel much freer than I have in even some of the pricier gaming chairs on the market. This kind of freedom is naturally a desirable quality when it comes to grinding out a few hours in front of the PC.

Third Hour

In my final hour of gaming I decided that I’d play around with the lumbar support to see if I could refine my sitting experience even more.

A fairly easy task, it didn’t take long to get to grips with how I could customise this part of the chair without getting in a muddle.

Interestingly, I found that by shifting this section a little bit I was able to enjoy a noticeable increase in comfort. This really went some way towards proving that the Aeron is a chair that can be fine-tuned to such an incredible extent.

Ultimately, the Herman Miller Aeron chair lived up to its impressive reputation. A complete dream to game in, it provides support in a subtle way that never distracts you from what’s going on. This, obviously, is what you want from a piece of furniture.

Defined by its solid build quality, the chair is unquestionably a great fit for gamers. Promising hours of unrivalled comfort, it will definitely be some time before the world of gaming chairs catches up with this workplace legend.