If you’re wondering how to place hands on keyboard for gaming and what is the recommended position for better gameplay, then you’re in the right place.
In this post, we’ll cover:
- Hand placement for FPS gaming
- Hand placement for MOBA gaming
- Keyboard considerations for gamers
- What is proper keyboard and mouse position for gaming?
- Conclusion
In this age, games are not just played for the sake of pleasure and entertainment, in fact gamers of today have made it a profession and they’re earning millions through this field. Playing tournaments and online streaming of games is a trend now and gaming geeks showcase their talent through such events. If you’re reading this post, we already know that you’re a gaming enthusiast and want to improve your gameplay to gain mass popularity.
Gamers pay a lot of attention to gaming laptops, monitors, motherboards, and keyboards, but they ignore a very important thing; ergonomics. How you place your hand on the keyboard while you’re playing will play an important role in your gameplay. Whether you’re a casual player or a pro, you’ll need an ergonomic gaming keyboard to reach to the top of the scoreboard. So, if you’re facing troubles facing your hands on keyboard for gaming, this post will help you find the right posture. Also, if you’re in the market for the best ergonomic gaming keyboards, check our product reviews.
Hand placement for FPS gaming
Hand placement is different for different types of gaming and first we’ll discuss for FPS gaming. If you’re a right handed gamer, make sure that you place your middle finger for middle click so that you can change it to the secondary click whenever it’s necessary. Your index finger should cover the primary click while the thumb should be on the left side so that it takes care of the powerscribe tab or localizer.
To explain it in the terms of alphabets, you must place the middle finger on ‘W’ and alternate it to ‘S’, the index finger should be on ‘D’, the ring finger on A, and pinky on shift which could move down to Ctrl when needed. Place your thumb over the space alternating to X, C, and Z while you’re using the commands. Some people use only two fingers for gaming; they place the index finger on W and alternate it between ‘W’ and ‘S’. The thumb is placed on the space bar and it manages the rest of the controls including shift, space, C, F, R, A and D.
A high-DPI gaming mouse is equipped with adjustment buttons on its sides which you can access through your thumbs of the right hand. The buttons present on the right side of the mouse can be accessed by using the little finger. The ring finger of the right hand should be placed on the right side of the mouse for changing the flashing colors. The point to remember is that if you’re right-handed, your left hand will play an important role in FPS gaming, especially the thumb and pinky (little) finger.
Hand placement for MOBA gaming
There are many gamers who don’t only focus on just FPS gaming such as PUBG, Black Ops, and Call of Duty. Instead, they also play MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games such as the League of Legends, Arena of Valor, and DOTA 2. Though these games are less graphically demanding, you still need good PC gear and an ergonomic gaming keyboard is a must.
For MOBA gaming, your thumb should alternate between ‘C’ and Shift. These two buttons are not much used for MOBA gaming but they are still present. Keep your middle finger over ‘E’ and alternate it between W and S too. You can set up the commands according to your preference and then alternate your fingers between them. Your ring finger should alternate between Q and A. For MOBA gaming, the index finger is least used and it engages the R key only.
Keyboard considerations for gamers
PC gamers spend a lot of time in front of computers and they often ignore the ergonomics. Ergonomics play an important role in the life of the gamers; it not only helps them improve their posture and get rid of back-ache and other issues, but also enhance the gameplay. The way you place your hands on the keyboard while gaming is very important as it will save you from wrist pain and other hand related aches and fatigue.
Keyboard manufacturers have now started focusing on ergonomics and they include various features such as the ‘wrist-rest’ that make it easier for the gamers. However, including just a wrist-rest doesn’t make a keyboard ergonomic as there are a lot other things that should be included for the comfort of gamers. Freestyle split keyboards are getting popular among gamers because of their ergonomics. Following are some of the important features of the best ergonomic keyboard for gaming:
Easy access to mouse
The full-sized keyboards force the gamers to reach the mouse and this posture puts more strain on the elbow, wrist, and shoulder. A freestyle edge or split keyboard lets you move the other half of the keyboard away and place your mouse in between the two parts of the keyboard. This posture makes sure that your hand position is at a comfortable level while gaming.
Less fatigue on wrist
The traditional keyboards make it difficult for the gamers because they have a slope from front to back. This position causes the wrist to bend backwards during typing and causes strain as the upper row of the keys is higher than the lower keys. This position can cause fatigue and even numbness if you play for hours. Due to this reason the ergonomic keyboards are designed with zero slope so that the height of the keys is same in all the rows. Apart from this, there is detachable palm support too that keeps the wrists at neutral angle and provide good support while gaming.
Prevention of ulnar deviation
Ulnar deviation is a common problem for gamers and that normally results due to improper positioning of hands on the keyboard. Ulnar deviation results when your wrists are bent outwards in the direction of the little finger. The ulnar deviation exists because width of the keyboard is lesser than the width of your shoulders. This placement of hands creates stress and strain on the wrists and create static muscle tension. If you play games for long sessions, you must try the freestyle edge keyboard as it allows you to rotate the edge and keep it to a position that reduces ulnar deviation.
What is proper keyboard and mouse position for gaming?
While gaming, if your elbow hangs freely off the side of the desk; it causes too much stress on the hands. If you have placed just your wrist on the desk while gaming, your hands will get tired too early. If you place your forearm on table and elbow on the armrest of chair, you’ll face friction while playing because of the difference in heights of forearm and elbow. According to hard-core gamers, the best position of hands is that when you place your forearm on the desk, so that your elbow makes an angle of 90 degrees.
The keyboard and mouse positioning for gaming is the same as the traditional placement. The keyboard should be inform of the monitor with the mouse on its right side if you’re a right-handed gamer. Gaming keyboards are designed with gamers in mind and they provide comfort to the user even if they play for hours consistently. Keyboards are of different shapes and designs and have different layouts too. Whatever the placement of hand is, the main aim should be to provide comfort to the hand and overall body during gaming.
Also, it is important to understand the positioning of mouse and keyboard and then utilize the ergonomics for a better gaming experience. If proper ergonomics aren’t utilized, you may be at a risk of many types of health conditions. These health risks include carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injury, and tennis elbow. Another drawback of improper hand placement is that you may absorb a lot of radiation by sitting front of the monitor for long gaming sessions.
Conclusion
Hand placement on the keyboard plays a very important role for gaming. If you have an ergonomic gaming keyboard, it will not only contribute to the overall gaming performance, but also improve your posture. This way you’ll have more control over the switches and your hand placement will also be improved.
In this post we tried our best to explain the best possible finger and hand placement on the keyboard for different types of gaming. Whether you’re an FPS or MOBA gamer, you must focus on your hand placement on the keyboard for a better performance. Following points should be considered for a proper gaming environment:
- Improve the overall gameplay so that the gamer have a better experience along with a reduction in the risk of fatigue and injury.
- A healthier individual leads to better and more productive performance.
- As the technology evolves, the hand placement and posture of gamers should also be compensated accordingly.
- Always consider the height, size, and vision and make a proper gaming setup according to comfort and requirements.