A new international study focusing on the effects of video games on physical health, specifically hearing, reveals that gamers could be at greater risk of developing certain hearing disorders, due in particular to the high sound levels associated with the activity.
Published in the BMJ Public Health journal, this research highlights a risk of “irreversible hearing loss and/or tinnitus” that may result from the fact that “game sound levels often near, or exceed, permissible safe limits”, the researchers reported.
No fewer than 14 studies from nine countries in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Asia, Australia and New Zealand were included in this analysis, which involved 53,833 people. The authors pointed out that the majority of these studies were observational cohort studies, six of which focused on assessing a potential link between hearing and computer or video games, and four of which were based on gaming centres, popular in Asia.
Regardless, whether in centres or at home with headphones or earphones, the analysis shows that gamers are regularly exposed to high – even very high – sound levels that can be close to, if not greater than, permissible safe limits.
“While headphones, earbuds, and music venues have been recognised as sources of potentially unsafe sound levels, relatively little attention has been paid to the effects of video games, including esports, on hearing loss. Gamers often play at high-intensity sound levels and for several hours at a time,” the researchers pointed out.
They concluded that their findings could be used to raise awareness of the potential risks associated with video games.
It should be noted, however, that most of the studies involved in this analysis date back to the early 1990s, and that only two of them published in the last 10 years “objectively measured average sound levels from video games or at gaming centres”.
Other data, such as the impact of age on hearing loss or the type of video games, also merits further research in the future to establish new recommendations or guidelines.
“Although the data provided in this review are limited, they suggest that some gamers, particularly those who play frequently at or above the average sound levels, probably exceed permissible sound-exposure limits and are thus engaging in unsafe listening practices,” the scientists said.
“This could put them at risk for developing permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus. The findings suggest that there may be a need to prioritise interventions, such as initiatives focused on education and awareness of the potential risks of gaming, that can help promote safe listening among gamers.”