For someone new to the gaming scene, you might be quite dazzled by the sheer amount of paraphernalia that is tailor-made specifically for gamers' needs. It can be daunting trying to pick the right parts, the right headset, the right chair, and even the right table.
While you'll find countless different articles and reviews on many gaming items, one item that is seemingly often forgotten is the gaming desk. Many say, "Use a regular desk, there isn't a difference." That couldn't be further from the truth, though. In this article, we'll be covering the core differences between the two, as well as why gaming desks are superior for gamers.
Gaming Desk vs Regular Desk: Key Differences
Adjustable Features
One of the most significant and most popular features of gaming desks is that they often come with adjustable heights. Gaming can be quite a physically demanding activity, despite mostly sitting down for hours at a time. However, this sitting down for hours on end is taxing on your body, because you aren't getting up and moving around to stretch the muscles. This can lead to major aches and pains very quickly.
Gaming chairs and desks can help remedy this with their ergonomic design that can be adjusted to fit your exact needs. Many can even be turned into a standing desk or a tilted desk, which are even healthier ways to game.
Needless to say, most regular office desks are made using standard measurements and often cannot be adjusted. This makes them good as an office desk, but the rigid design isn't exactly the most comfortable for gaming.
Comfort Appeal
As we mentioned, most gaming desks have adjustable features that are designed to allow you to tailor the desk to your own needs. This makes it quite appealing to those who greatly value comfort. The desks are ergonomically designed with smooth surfaces and edges to be comfortable for long hours of competitive gameplay. The adjustable nature of the desk is very well suited to increasing the user's comfort.
A regular desk is more often made to be "just enough". While it may have some of the same comfort features as a gaming desk, such as the smoothness and rounded edges, it is often made from arguably lower-quality materials. Usually, it lacks the adjustable features that allow you to change from sitting to standing or tilted.
Durability
While not many would think this to be a factor, the durability of a desk is significant. For gamers, you already spend a lot of money on other accessories, and desks are expensive as it is. You're going to want a good quality desk that will last for a good many years.
Like the gaming chair vs. office chair argument, we know that the former will go through a lot of abuse through the heated and emotional roller coaster that is the heavy-invested gamer in a stressful game. Thus, gaming desks have also been made to be quite durable and to withstand quite a bit of abuse. That is why they use tough materials like PVC, strong hardwoods and plastics, and even stainless steel.
Compared to a gaming desk, the average office desk won't stand a chance. The materials are often far cheaper than that of a gaming desk, and it isn't made to withstand a lot of damage, which is understandable since you don't expect that kind of emotion to happen in an office environment. The only real form of durability that can compare is the long-lasting build, but it's worse in regards to strength and resilience.
Space and Storage
While both the environments of a gamer and an office require a lot of space to set up entirely, there is a very distinct difference in what is offered in gaming desks and office desks. The working space available on an office desk is often very limited compared to a gaming desk, which makes sense in the context of an office setting because of all the additional storage areas and shared resources, such as printers and photocopiers.
This means you don't necessarily need as much space on your desk. However, gaming desks are built to be much larger, with the extra space required for larger hardware, multiple screens, various stands for headsets and controllers, and perhaps even a console for those who game on multiple platforms.
In addition to this extra desk space, you also often get the option for additional storage. Continuing with the theme of adjustability, most gaming desks have optional add-ons, such as drawers and shelves. Your standard office desk often comes with just one or two drawers for notes or files and keeps your belongings safe, and this is because an office environment often has additional options for storage, such as filing cabinets.
In an office environment, you can skimp on having these because of the additional options available, but with a gaming desk, the added desk storage options are far more plentiful, with sliding shelves, drawers, built-in stands for monitors, etc.
Pricing
In this regard, the office desk actually lucks out. It comes out on top, but honestly, this should have been expected given the number of additional features and the generally superior design of a gaming desk. The gaming desk will typically always end up being more expensive than the standard office desk. However, you might end up getting a great deal, as some of the cheapest gaming desks are around the mid to high price range for regular office desks.
The pricing of what you end up buying often ends up being a deciding factor for many different people, so should the large price tag be something that puts you off, it's understandable. However, always remember that quality comes at a price. The moment you switch to a gaming desk, you will most definitely notice the difference.
Conclusion
To give a definitive answer to the gaming desk vs regular desk debate, we would say that the gaming desk is undoubtedly better in essentially every regard except for the price tag. However, if you only need a standard office desk, there isn't much of a need to spend all that extra money on a gaming desk that you won't use to its full potential.
