Who needs a mouse pad, Part Two.

Whether you use a roller ball or optical mouse, there are plenty of benefits in using a mouse pad. Some are technical, some are not, but they are benefits nonetheless. Let’s put aside the reasons that some feel mouse pads are no longer necessary because: they’re cheap, they’re not needed for optical mice and they’re cheap.

A mouse pad can serve a number of roles in your daily computing. So let’s take a look at the non-technical perks.

The first, and this is a big one, is having a nice clean open area on your desktop to use your mouse. In this era of the internet, it is quite common to use the computer mouse as often as or more so than the keyboard. So you need it ready to go at all times. Without a mouse pad to reserve mousing space, you’ll find the area quickly cluttered with catalogs, paper clips, junk mail and receipts. So, a mouse pad creates a sort of mousing refuge on your desktop.

Another benefit that may seem superficial is the sound and the look. Try mousing on a wood surface for a few minutes. I tried it, and it’s noisy. From the scraping, the bouncing, the clicking. A mouse pad dampens that sound a bit. And for a minute think about what that scraping and bouncing is doing to the surface of your desk. Why not let a mouse pad take that abuse, instead of scratching up your desktop, counter or dining table.

And finally, one of the reasons so many mouse pads have sold is the novelty value. Some people just like having a picture of puppies and kittens on their desk. Or beach scenes. Or pictures of their kids. Or any number of image mouse pads available on the market. Like refrigerator magnets, mouse pads have become a way of expressing ourselves. Like the stationery market, this is enough to keep the product category alive and kicking for years.

So, what now of those technical benefits of mouse pads? Seriously, there are some benefits.

First of all, some of us are celebrating more than 20 years of computer use. That’s 20 years of typing, mousing, spread sheeting and more. These have not always been the most posture-friendly positions, and a word that’s been thrown around quite a bit in years of late is: ergonomics. That is the science of reducing unnecessary or awkward postures and motions. A quick way to jumpstart you on the path to an ergonomic workspace is with an ergonomic mouse pad. These let your wrist rest on a little pillow while you’re doing your mousing to keep your wrist at a more natural position and to keep the blood flowing. It’s a simple concept with some complicated variations, but it can make a difference.

Also, for PC gamers and professional graphics people, there is a need for an ultra-smooth consistent surface. For gamers this is a life-or-death situation. For graphics professionals, we’re talking about cash. For people who are just really picky about accurate cursor movements, it’s simply peace of mind. Optical or roller-ball, you still need a flat, smooth surface: kind of the definition of a mouse pad. On a going-over-the-edge side bar; I’ve heard of gamers going so far as to put silicone pads on the bottoms of computer mice and spray coatings of Pledge on their mouse pads. Whatever it takes, baby.

I’ve heard of a little talk that a reflective surface can help optical mice work better by conserving the battery of wireless mice. The juries still out on this one, but I thought it was worth mentioning.