Esports and Ergonomics Pt. 2: A player’s perspective

Last week we brought you the story of Jessica King and her group of kinesiology students who made it their mission to help improve the postures and the ergonomic mindsets of our Overwatch 2 team.

Now, we flip over to the player’s side to discuss how one of their players sees screen time, posture, and how it all comes together during those big games.

We caught up with Riley Singfield, a Brooklin, Ontario native in his second-year of an integrated math and computer science major. In Overwatch he’s been ranked among the top 500 players in North America, and outside the classroom he plays hockey, board games, and really anything that could be made into a competition with friends and family members.

OTSU: First things first: what do you think is your daily screen time? What are those hours going to?

RS: On a normal weekday? Probably around six to eight between school and games combined. I'd say I spend over 4 hours working on code or other school work, and probably another 4 or more hours playing games including practices, scrims, and collegiate matches.

OTSU: Be honest, how would you rate your posture at the computer (and why) knowing what you do now about ergonomics?

RS: I had some awareness of ergonomics before this season with Jessica and her team, so I think my posture is pretty decent, actually. I like to think I sit at an appropriate height and have proper lumbar support. You kind of have to when you’re at a computer that long.

OTSU: And now? How did the workshop make you more conscious of your posture?

RS: The workshop definitely made me more aware of how I use my arms compared to my wrists when using a mouse and keyboard. After the presentation, I changed the way I used my mouse during gameplay by using my arm more. I still use my wrist, but I have a much healthier balance of wrist and arm movement now.

OTSU: Do you think it’ll mess with your head next time you're in a big match? Lol

RS: Just a little, lol! The match right after getting these ergonomics tips I actually caught myself thinking about it. In general, the matches involve a LOT of thinking, whether it's about overall macro and team discussion, listening and making comms, your exact positioning, what space you control, which space is most valuable, and what actions to make based on those. During the match I specifically remember, like, half way through I kinda stopped thinking about the game for a few seconds and just started moving my arm instead of my wrist, lol. So, yeah, that kinda messed with me a bit and was kinda funny.

OTSU: Any last words of advice for the rest of us?

RS: As gamers, our team has higher than average screen times, so I was really glad to have this presentation and learn from fellow students how to prevent posture-related injuries. But definitely everyone can benefit from better posture, so make sure you’re not slouching, lol!