When your daughter slowly taking over your setup

[u/flatwhite79]

9-yr daughter slowly taking over my setup! Think she will need her own rig. And super proud that she is into it! Been helping me build since she is 4.:))

She still getting the hang of WASD + mouse movements co-ords. She is left-handed. Any tips for her?

Edit/Additional Info: This is my own setup. She everynow and then would ask me to practise her K+M gameplay on my PC. Im sharing my pride here when I saw her getting the hang of it (despite initial unco-ord between her WASD and mouse) and that she enjoying PC gaming. :) And seeing how she quietly puts 2 small cat figurine thingie on my monitor.

Yes. Will def ensure her own setup (have already started ordering the PC parts, tables chair etc. except for the RAM, that would be last, its too crazy the price here) would suit her height and needs. Ive already saved this helpful comment -> https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/s/lLEAQwxXPp in this thread.

And yes, will build together with her for her upcoming bday gift.

The tablet was there because its her own version of "online play together". Lol. She is on WA call with her cousin.

[u/CN8YLW]

> Any tips for her?

Yeah, that monitor positioning is horrible for her spine. Screen needs to be further away (pull the table out, put another table behind this one and put the monitor there) so she can view the whole screen without craning her neck upwards like that. Also, keyboard and mouse is too far from her seated resting position, so she's leaning forward excessively and hunching her back (making her neck positioning a lot worse). But I do think moving the monitor back by 2 feet would solve this issue as well since the extra space would allow her to push the keyboard and mouse further up the table and she can pull the chair closer so she can sit straight and have a proper posture. Chair needs to elevated higher too (about 4-6 inches from my estimate) so the keyboard is situated at your kid's belly button level. Your chair probably cant do that due to the armrests being in the way of the table, so if they're removable, you should consider removing them so your kid can raise the chair more.

Basically the ideal position should be your kid sitting with her spine flat on the chair, her head rested againts the chair, the keyboard + mouse at around her belly button height and the monitor positioned so she can still see it with minimal neck and head movements. Given how time intensive gaming is, you should definitely invest in making sure your kid dosent develop spinal problems from spending hours each day on the rig.

[u/flatwhite79 → u/CN8YLW]

Thanx for this. This is gold! Will def take this into account when her parts and own table/setup is here.

[u/Sadface201 → u/flatwhite79]

Just gonna throw my 2 cents in here, there are general guidelines for ergonomic gaming, but do also consider personal preferences. When I was seriously trying to improve my setup to better my body, I found that (1) the size of the mouse and (2) a low profile keyboard are what helped reduce a lot of stress on my wrists during gaming. I tried a couple of other supposed ergonomic mice and keyboards beforehand and they didn't do it for me.

[u/JustGame1223 → u/Sadface201]

What mouse and keyboard are you using now?

[u/Sadface201 → u/JustGame1223]

On my right hand side, I actually use a Kensington trackball with scroll ring. Switching to a trackball basically alleviated all the pressure I was putting on my wrist and I got used to gaming with it (my precision isn't what it used to be, but I can still remain competitive in FPS and MOBA games. RTS games really put a lot of stress on my wrists even with the trackball, so I don't play those as much anymore).

On my left, I actually have a Logitech G300, which is overkill for just surfing and office work. Though when a game requires that I go through a lot of menus and dragging/dropping items (e.g. Project Zomboid), having the extra mouse is useful.

Keyboard I have been exclusively using low profile keyboards for several years now because the taller keyboards put strain on my wrists. Right now I'm using a Corsair K70 mechanical gaming keyboard.

[u/CN8YLW → u/flatwhite79]

Just an additional consideration. People who sit for long periods of time have higher odds of developing a condition called anterior pelvic tilt, which is caused by weakened glute and abdominal muscles. If allowed to continue, the posture issue can develop into other problems down the road. I'd probably look more into the subject and get the kid performing specific exercises to address the issues. Example being exercises to strengthen the glutes and core (which can be done with body weight exercises).