A few weeks ago I got a chance to see the Black Ops Gunnar glasses that Mad Catz and Gunnar have created up close, and since then I’ve snagged a pair — two, actually. I’ve been spending my Playing With Swords sessions with not only the Black Ops edition but the Edge model as well. Both have amber lenses.
Mad Catz & Gunnar present the Black Ops Gaming Glasses
Now, a lot of people see the yellow-tinted lenses and immediately scoff. I was skeptical as to whether I would want a jaundiced view of the world too, but I also know I’ve seen a lot of marksmen wear amber lenses because they increase contrast and brighten up low-light situations. And they’ve been doing it for years — clear lenses would take care of the safety requirement, so I have to think they’re choosing amber for an extra benefit. So, if that can benefit gamers too, I’ll give it a try. The MLG endorses them and everything. And there are some legitimate science types who say using glasses during computer use can be beneficial, too.
So the big question is…do they work? Here’s what I learned:
My eyes didn’t hurt as much after long gaming sessions.
Black Ops
I stare at screens all day, for fun and for work, so eye fatigue is a constant issue. Gunnar points out that wearing glasses keeps a little extra humidity around your eyes, so they don’t dry out as fast. I suppose in theory that means you would blink less, keeping your eyes on the action. I didn’t do scientific tests to figure out how often I blinked with the Gunnars on versus without, but I did notice my eyes stung less after sessions where I wore them than when I didn’t. If that’s due to a little extra moisture, I’m down with that.
The yellow tint really didn’t bother me.
At first, yes, huge shock — “eeew, why is everything yellow?” And 15 minutes into my gaming, I was still aware of it. By the top of the hour, I had completely forgotten I was looking through amber. Other folks have noted that harsh flourescent lights emit a lot of blue and green, so the yellow lenses counter that. So perhaps it’s what your eyes perceive as “normal” — if you’ve gotten used to flourescent lighting, even if it’s tinted, it seems normal…then shifting it back to something more natural with yellow looks “weird.” Of course, then you have to factor in your monitor’s color tint, too. But I was okay with it — I didn’t feel the games played any worse with a slightly amber view.
They’re nice and light.
Obviously you don’t want glasses weighing you down. The Black Ops glasses feature extremely light, flexible metal frames; the Edges use solid temples — some sort of injection-molded plastic or resin, I can’t figure out exactly what — but they’re just as light. It was easy to forget I was wearing them until someone in the office said “What are those things on you face?”
The Black Ops glasses offer a lot of coverage.
Edge
I really liked the modern look of the Edge, and initially balked at the Black Ops aviator glasses. The retro-70s thing makes sense for the game tie-in, but that’s not my jam. Then I tried them and found…hey, total coverage. Larger lenses meant I was less aware of the tint — my whole world view was amber so it seemed normal. Wearing the Edges, I was aware of natural light at the top and bottom (though the sides were nice and wraparoundy). I got used to that after two tries, so now I trade off. But if you want the whole world to look normal in amber, go with larger lenses. I notice that the MLG line uses generally larger lenses, too (including a non-Black Ops aviator).
For a second non-scientific opinion, I traded off both pairs with Kat, who, as a web designer and layout artist, also stares at screens all day long, then plays PC games with me when I get home. She reported the same benefits independently — which was something of a surprise to both of us.
So, again…do they work? In my entirely subjective personal experience, yes. I found they helped in my digital daily life.
