Keyboard, Mouse Location

[nightjoker5]

Greetings to everyone that is reading or is going to read in the future.

Ok, Ive been gaming since i could get my hands on a mouse or gamepad. Ive been looking lately at some gaming setups, and ive been noticing mostly everyone has their keyboard and mouse in the keyboard drawer. Ive been playing with the mouse on the desk, and the keyboard in the drawer. Since my drawer isnt large enough to fit both of them ive been doing it the other way. Btw I use the Razer BlackWidow Chroma. I was wondering if there's any side effects of gaming, using this form of setup?

I hope im not the only one 😀

PS: I can upload some pics if requested.

 

[woll3]

What side effects?

If anything having both on the same level is more ergonomical, í personally use everything (including Monitor) on one level, not only because it feels the most natural to me, but when you travel or go to LAN it is the same setup everytime.

 

[JingLuci]

I have everything exposed on the desk. Including my keyboard, mice, monitor and desktop.

 

[ssddx]

i have everything on one level as well. while the desk could certainly do to be a bit shorter for better ergonomics (which would require it to be thinner too so my legs can fit under, but it was free so i cant complain!), overall this works out better for me than any keyboard tray ever could. see, i like having room to spread out and change position all the time so a tray would not work out for me as it is too cramped and they tend to be not very stable and move around. personally, i highly suggest such a setup but also suggest that you use whatever is most comfortable to you regardless of what anyone else tells you to use.

as for your setup, side effects? besides not being the most ergonomic or wrist-healthy setup which might be a bit more uncomfortable for long sessions if it works for you then i do not see much of an issue except as above. it is entirely possible to game at a high level with such a setup and i've seen much stranger ones myself.

generally having wrist and arm positions of below are considered ideal, and have the lowest chance of RSI, injury or developing wrist problems. however, as always it is good to take breaks and stretch often as well. now, i'm not saying it is not possible to use mice and keyboards in other ways, just that they are not considered the most ideal in terms of ergonomics. i myself normally rest my elbows on my desk which while fine for wrists and elbows though sometimes bothers my shoulders at times.

in short, if you're comfortable with using that setup then it will work fine though it might not be the best for you in terms of ergonomics.

 

[nightjoker5]

http://www.turboimagehost.com/p/23261433/091.jpg.html

This is what my setup looks like atm with the way the keyboard and mouse is.

 

[ssddx]

i take it that you must be a wasd user with that kind of setup. i couldnt imagine trying to use arrow keys with that kind of position. given the very significant change in height on keyboard vs mouse i'd say that the mouse is a bit too high and is like the bad images above which might eventually catch up with you with some symptoms. now, i'm making this assumption given that keyboard height is likely ideal (since you would need to fit your legs under it). if your chair was at its lowest height to work with the desk, you could always move it up, move up the keyboard tray so it was higher and reduce the difference in height between the two so they were a few inches apart instead of the 6-8 inches or so it looks like in the photo which would improve ergonomics without getting fancy.

that desk looks made of wood, is it? if so and if the above solution isnt what you want, i'd suggest changing things around and adding in a wider drawer so that you can use your mouse at the same level as the keyboard. it would also give your feet some more room so you are not cramped. while the top might need a little bit of bracing if you do this, ideally the desk would be entirely open on the front instead of being broken up into 2 sections. you would need a few strips of wood and some basic skills but this shouldnt be a hard task.

if you're comfortable working with wood and have some basic tools its also possible to make your own desk which fits your needs exactly. i cant be sure from the image but it almost looks like the one edge of the desk is in a room corner. you could build an L shaped desk quite easily which would give you more room to spread out and you can use a drop-down keyboard tray mount and make it as wide as you want. such designs can be entirely wall mounted, partially wall mounted with only front legs or be entirely freestanding.

as always though, your own preferences are paramount so do what is most comfortable for you. just thought i'd give my thoughts.