A major Michigan furniture manufacturer is introducing a series of special edition chairs designed for the gaming community.
Herman Miller, based in Zeeland (southwest of Grand Rapids), has altered its popular Aeron office chair for use by enthusiasts of online gaming. The chair retails for $1,445 and is available here.
“When we started our research into how we could help meet the needs of the gaming community, we discovered many of our existing chairs were already favorites of individuals and teams,” says Tim Straker, chief marketing officer for Herman Miller. “We came across countless gaming reviews for Aeron, and they were all positive.
“Aeron is one of, if not the, most versatile chairs ever designed, and we have seen it used everywhere from pro sports locker rooms to broadcasting sets to recording studios – it even sits in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.”
The team from Herman Miller spent many hours in conversation with and observation of gamers to determine which ergonomic and aesthetic elements were important to them.
“Gamers have been huge and vocal fans of Aeron for a long time,” says Jon Campbell, gaming business lead at Herman Miller. “Armed with these insights and our own research, we were able to combine the optimal configuration of Aeron, which offers customized back support and a forward seat angle for an active gaming posture, with a new color option that better matches the gaming aesthetic. This special gaming edition Aeron offers gamers everywhere another fantastic Herman Miller solution for their set-ups.”
The new chair is the first time the Aeron has been sold with an all-matte black finish, including the Pellicle material that supports the sitter’s body.
“The ways any player, of any size, playing any game can fine tune the adjustments of the chair to find optimal support was called out as a huge benefit,” says Ben Watson, chief creative officer at Herman Miller. “But gamers also told us that they care about how the chair looks: overall design and color are important. We consistently heard gamers ask for an all-black Aeron – they wanted their chair to feel like a part of their gaming set-ups. So that’s what we gave them.”
Herman Miller says decades of research in ergonomics have equipped it to design new products like the recently released Embody Gaming Chair, as well as reconfigure existing products specifically for gamers.
Traditional athletes work to connect every part of their body in proper alignment and sequence to generate power and balance, and gamers are no different, according to the company. Players achieve maximum performance and comfort when all of their muscles, joints, and bones are aligned properly and active.
“Athletes who play video games are looking for the same outcomes as traditional athletes,” says Campbell. “The gaming edition of Aeron is where high performance and ergonomics meet iconic design. It offers that same comfort the Aeron is known for, tailored for gamers who want to play all day or night.”
