Two Months Of Playing Games While Standing Up [Health]

About six weeks ago, I wrote an article about how I’d gotten really into playing games while standing up.

It sparked all manner of interesting conversation, and I think that I convinced a few people to give standing a shot. Given that I’ve been standing up while working (and playing) for two months now, I thought I’d write a status update on how my adventure into standing is going and check in with anyone else who’s giving it a try. Fun fact: I wrote this article while standing!

In fact, I still work and play games standing, every day. That said, I hit a number of roadblocks that I had to work around. For starters, there was foot-pain. It’s definitely a problem if you work on your feet, and standing barefoot for long periods of time started to really take a toll on my legs and even back and shoulders.

The solution for me was twofold: First of all, I take a break every hour and sit down. That’s one of the benefits of my adjustible standing/sitting desk—I can sit if I need to. And I do sit, a lot.

The second solution was to get a rubberized gel mat to stand on. The one I got is, unfortunately, currently sold out—a double-bummer because it’s a great mat. But there are others, and if you’re going to be standing at a desk for a long time, I recommend getting one.

I’ve also picked up the hoverbar for iPad, which lets me suspend my iPad next to my PC and use it as a second screen. It’s extravagantly priced in that annoying way that all Apple accessories are, but it gets the job done and clips onto my ergotron so that the iPad screen slides up and down with my monitor.

Okay, that’s all work stuff—how about gaming? I’m happy to report that after logging dozens of hours in Guild Wars 2, Torchlight II, Company of Heroes and more, I’m still loving playing games while standing up. I still sit down, usually in the evening, but playing while standing keeps me just as engaged as it did when I first started out.

I’ve found that Steam’s new big picture mode really does make my PC games work well on TV. As I’ve been playing Borderlands 2 (whose PC version is truly outstanding ), I’ve been doing it mostly while sitting in front of my TV. I’ve also found that I probably would be less comfortable standing with a wireless controller, because the extra weight of the batteries would take a toll on my shoulders after a while. But in general, even controller games get the standing-up treatment.

I’m curious to hear from you guys—have any of you tried to do more standing? How’s it been for you? Anyone out there still on the fence, or have any questions? Sound off! You don’t even have to stand up to ask. And hey, since this is where the off-topic post usually goes, feel free to discuss that or whatever else, here or over in the Talk Amongst Yourselves forum. Have good conversations, and be healthy.