Are gaming chairs actually that bad, or is the hate a little over the top?

I’m shopping for a new desk chair and keep going back and forth on the gaming chair vs office chair thing.

Every time I look it up, I see people saying gaming chairs are bad, overpriced, and mostly just marketing, and that I should get an office chair instead. But at the same time, gaming chairs are still really popular, a lot of people seem happy with them, and some of them honestly do look better than most office chairs.

From what I’ve read, the main complaints are usually that gaming chairs can feel too stiff or restrictive, the lumbar support is sometimes just a pillow, and they’re not always great for sitting long hours. Office chairs seem to get more praise for ergonomics, adjustability, and comfort over time.

What makes it hard to figure out is that I also see plenty of people say they’ve had good experiences with chairs from brands like Secretlab, Andaseat and I’ve been looking at Blacklyte too, so I’m not sure how much of the criticism is fair and how much is just the usual internet opinion getting repeated.

For people who’ve actually used both:

• Is a good gaming chair really that much worse than a good office chair, or is it more that office chairs are just the safer choice?

• If you switched from one to the other, what made you do it?

• Do streamers and esports players mostly use gaming chairs because of sponsorships, or are some of them actually good enough to use daily?

• Are the more hybrid options a better middle ground?

My budget is around $400–600, and I’m usually sitting around 6–8 hours a day between work and gaming, so I’m trying to make a smart choice and not buy something I’ll regret later. At that price, would you go with a gaming chair, a used higher-end office chair, or something in between?

Would also like to hear from people who thought gaming chairs were fine, and from people who bought one and ended up switching.

Ps: Hope this post isn't removed as well. Does Reddit get triggered by the words "gaming chair?"