Game developers often spend many hours in front of the computer. Of course, new ideas to try, features to implement, and bugs to fix are endless and someone must take care of them. Unfortunately sitting long hours and crunching isn’t good for you and your body. Maintaining good health doesn’t happen by accident and you need to take care of it. But how to stay healthy as a game developer?
How to finish your game and stay healthy as a game developer?
Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated is very important. Drinking water helps prevent infections, keep organs functioning properly, regulate body temperature and keep joints lubricated. It also improves cognition, sleep quality and mood. Plus an increase in your water intake forces you to take more breaks to use the bathroom – free exercise here. 😉
Maintain good posture
Sitting work is a killer for our bodies. Make sure your workstation is set up in the most ergonomic way. That will help avoid repetitive stress injuries and will also help to prevent muscle soreness that you can get when you sit for too long in a bad position. You can also try to work on a standing desk. Check out this article for ideas on how to improve your workplace
Get enough sleep
Sleep is something that a body needs to recover. Studies have shown that getting enough sleep gives us more energy, boosts our focus, significantly improves our immune system and helps with stress management. So get yourself a good sleep routine with 7-8 hours of sleep – the next bug can wait a few hours. 🙂
Move your body
Unfortunately, many developers tend to forget/ignore this one. Our bodies are not meant to sit in front of the computer all day long, they need movement. Sitting for long hours is a relatively new concept for our bodies, from an evolutionary standpoint. Our ancestors tend to move way more than we are nowadays. Regular workouts have a wide range of benefits. They can help prevent heart diseases, diabetes and many types of cancer. They can also help treat depression, anxiety, osteoporosis and high blood pressure. Exercises keep your weight under control and make you feel better.
Any amount of exercise is better than none so have it in mind. Join the gym, do a workout at home, go for a walk or ride a bike. There are many things you can consider for exercise – I’m sure you’ll find something for yourself. 🙂
Take care of your gut
When your gut isn’t happy, your immune system is compromised. Why? Because about 70% of the immune system is in the gut. So what you eat is very closely linked to your health and a balanced diet has many benefits too. By making healthier food choices, you can prevent or treat some conditions. Eating healthy doesn’t mean that you can’t have a snack or that you need to cut out everything from your diet that’s unhealthy – it simply means being conscious of what you eat and making smart choices.
Unplug yourself
It’s important to find a balance between work and life. Don’t forget that mental health is as important as physical. I believe that there are times that we need to disconnect from the virtual world, to put the computer & phone aside. It’s good to find a hobby that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a computer. Your mind and body will thank you for it. 🙂
What do we do to stay healthy as game developers? Everything from this list! Or at least we’re trying to. 😉 We’ve been working out for around eight years now, 4-5 days a week, every week. Along with it came an awareness of what we eat and how we treat our bodies. We’re trying to disconnect from the electronic devices every evening at about 11:00 PM. We also love longer trips when we don’t use our laptops & phones for a week or two – very refreshing. 😉 And I think that we’re sleeping too much. 😛
Summing up
These are some very good and easy ways that can help you stay healthy as a game developer spending lots of time in front of the computer. We recommend implementing these ones by one. Otherwise, you may get discouraged easily. It takes some time to make something a habit but overall health is definitely worth it in the short and in the long run. 😉
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