Gaming glasses are becoming more and more popular among gamers, but are gaming glasses actually worth it? There are pros and cons to wearing gaming glasses and this article will go into detail on what gaming glasses are, who should buy them and who should not, and ultimately if they are worth it for you.
What Are Gaming Glasses?
Gaming Glasses are just like any pair of glasses you would normally buy – except they have specific lenses used to help reduce eye strain and glare. These glasses come in a range of styles and prices. Some start out as low as $30 and go all the way up to the $300 mark on the high end. It all depends on the make and model and how stylish you want your glasses to be.
The Pros of Gaming Glasses
The main pros of wearing gaming glasses is they help reduce blue light glare and strain. Your monitor, computer, or tv all emit blue light and when you look at them for too long, it can cause eye strain. This eye strain overtime can significantly impair your vision. Gaming glasses reduce this eye strain and help reduce the damage from blue light.
Gaming glasses help provide a yellow hue to your vision which helps improve the crispness of the picture, reduce glare, and helps you see colors more easily. This can be very helpful when playing online competitive first-person shooters, or while raiding in a Massively Multiplayer Online experience.
Having the extra edge in vision and seeing an enemy hidden behind a bush can be the difference between leading your team to victory and a devastating loss.
Another pro to gaming glasses is they filter out reflections. All monitors have reflections of things in the surrounding area – like a lamp, lights, windows, etc. The yellow tinted lenses filter out these reflections and allow you to focus on gaming.
Ever had a headache while gaming? Even when you have been properly hydrating?
Gaming glasses can help with that too. Your eyes will get dry while playing games for a long time and gaming glasses help reduce this strain. By reducing the strain from bright lights while gaming, gaming glasses will help reduce the number of headaches you have while gaming.
The Cons of Gaming Glasses
There are not many cons to wearing gaming glasses, but there are a couple that stand out.
Gaming glasses take some time to get used to. Whether it is comfort or you are struggling to game as well as you used to without gaming glasses, give it some time to get used to your gaming glasses. This can be a real negative for competitive gamers who expect the best out of every game they play.
Adjusting to gaming glasses can take some time and you need to be aware of this before purchasing your first pair. If you are planning on playing competitively or in a tournament, don’t expect to be able to buy a pair of gaming glasses and immediately play at a high level.
Comfort is also a very important thing to take into account when evaluating if gaming glasses are worth it or not. As we discussed in a previous article about the best gaming headsets for glasses wearers, wearing glasses can sometimes cause comfort problems with your gaming headset. Finding a gaming headset and pair of gaming glasses that work together seamlessly to provide maximum comfort is key to having a pleasurable gaming experience.
It is also important to mention that you can only wear one pair of glasses at a time. Thus, if you are a current prescription eye glasses wearer, you will be unable to use a pair of gaming glasses on top of your current prescription eye glasses. You must choose one.
If you wear contacts this shouldn’t be a problem, but many people who wear contacts like to wear glasses while gaming. This can cause problems if you are planning on wearing gaming glasses. If you fall into this category you must look at a pair of prescription gaming glasses and these can be really expensive.
The other obvious con to gaming glasses is their price tag. Price is a barrier for everything in this world and you need to properly evaluate what is affordable for you. For some gamers, most gaming glasses are too expensive, but for others they are relatively affordable. With the average price for gaming glasses being roughly $70, this can be a lot for some gamers.
Who Should Buy Them?
According to a recent study, computer-vision syndrome affects about 90% of people who spend three hours or more a day in front of a screen. That is a pretty staggering statistic and by this statistic alone, everyone should probably buy a pair of gaming glasses. However, not everyone spends three or more hours a day in front of a screen, but some gamers do.
Gaming glasses exist for a reason, and this reason is to be worn while gaming. Specifically, to be worn while gaming during long sessions while staring at a blue light emitting screen. So, are you one of these people?
If you are a PC gamer infatuated with your gaming computer’s frames per second, monitor refresh rate, and graphics resolution, then you probably have invested a large amount of money into your gaming hardware. Let’s assume you have spent roughly $2000 on your gaming computer, and are logging in long 5 plus hour sessions into your favorite AAA title. If this is you, then you probably should consider getting a pair of gaming glasses.
You should do this not only to enhance your gaming experience and performance in game, but also for your health. Spending 5 plus hours intensely looking into your computer monitor is really harmful for your eyes. Recent studies have shown that blue light can damage your retinal cells and can lead to macular degeneration later in life.
If you want to prevent yourself from having eye issues later on in your life and still be able to game as intense as you currently do, then gaming glasses are definitely worth it for you.
If you consider yourself a hardcore or serious gamer, you should buy a pair of gaming glasses. The investment is relatively small in reference to how often you will be using them. Furthermore, the health benefits alone are well worth the investment.
Who Should Not Buy Them?
By now you have probably determined if gaming glasses are not a good fit for you, and that is okay.
Gaming glasses are not for everyone – especially casual gamers. If you are playing Viva Pinata or Candy Crush all day you probably are experiencing far less eye strain than a competitive gamer. Nothing is wrong with playing Viva Pinata, it just doesn’t require the same eye protection as other games.
Not only does the type of game that you are playing matter, but the length at which you are playing the games is very important, too. If you are a casual gamer you most likely are not spending 5 plus hours playing a game without stopping.
This means you are putting less strain on your eyes, and don’t need the protection from gaming glasses as much. However, if you are a casual gamer, but sometimes play for longer periods then gaming glasses might be for you.
It is also worth noting that if you play games with sunglasses on, then gaming glasses might not be for you – yes this is directed towards Dr. Disrespect…
So, Are Gaming Glasses Worth It?
The short answer is yes, gaming glasses are worth it, but it truly depends on your situation and what kind of gamer you are.
If you are a highly competitive gamer or streamer, then gaming glasses are definitely worth it for you. Spending hours looking into your monitor is bad for your eyes. If you care about your health and long-term eye vision, then gaming glasses are worth the purchase – regardless of the price.
However, if you are a casual gamer and do not spend long hours looking at your monitor, then gaming glasses might not be worth it for you. It is important to note, that regardless of the type of gamer you are, once you get used to playing with gaming glasses, you will have a distinct advantage against other players due to the increased contrast in color.
So, in that respect, even if you are a casual gamer, gaming glasses are worth it – if you have the cash to spend of course.
So, if you have decided if gaming glasses are worth it for you, you are probably wondering which pair of gaming glasses would be best for you. We have you covered here at PC Mecca with our list of the best gaming glasses available on the market. Here you can learn about what to look for in your next pair of gaming glasses and which one is the perfect pair for you.
I really hope this has been helpful to you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I will be more than happy to help you out.
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