Video games are a very popular leisure activity for children and adults, since there are games for all tastes, and even older people can enjoy this pastime. However, their continued use could have negative consequences, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which has based on new research to warn that they could cause irreversible hearing loss or tinnitus, a condition also known as tinnitus and is characterized by persistent noises, ringing or ringing in the ears.
The study that has set off alarm bells has been published in BMJ Public Health and its findings suggest that the sound levels emitted by these types of games often approach or exceed the safe limits allowed for environmental noise. The work has analyzed data from more than 50,000 players, and it is estimated that around 3,000 million people play video games worldwide, which gives an idea of how important it is to raise awareness among the population about their potential risks for hearing health.
Headphones and earphones have already been identified as emitting potentially dangerous sound levels, but not much attention has been paid to the effects of video games on hearing loss, the researchers said, adding that gamers often play at high levels. high intensity sound and for several hours straight.
Video game players have unsafe listening practices
The researchers searched databases for relevant studies and white papers, bulletins, reports and proceedings, published at any time in English, Spanish or Chinese, and included in the review about 14 studies from nine countries in North America, Europe, Asia and China. Oceania, and in which a total of 53,833 people participated. Eleven were observational epidemiological studies, of which six analyzed the relationship between hearing and computer games or video games; four analyzed game centers or computer rooms, very popular in Asia; and one focused on mobile devices.
Reported sound levels ranged from 43.2 decibels (dB) on mobile devices to 80-89 dB in gaming centers, while the duration of noise exposure depended on the mode and frequency of access: daily to once a year. month, for at least one hour per session, with an average of three hours per week.
Six studies provided information on video game prevalence among youth, which ranged from 20% to 68%. Two South Korean studies reported a prevalence of gaming center use around 60%. Three studies evaluated gender differences in gaming behaviors and indicated that boys played video games more frequently than girls, for longer periods of time, and at higher sound intensity levels.
Players are likely “exceeding permitted sound exposure limits, which could put them at risk of developing permanent hearing loss or tinnitus.”
Five studies evaluated the relationship between gaming and self-reported hearing loss, hearing thresholds, or tinnitus. Of those, two found that schoolchildren’s use of play centers was linked to an increased chance of severe tinnitus and high-frequency sound hearing loss in both ears.
The researchers have acknowledged that some of the included studies were conducted in the early 1990s, and only two that have been published in the last 10 years objectively measured the average sound levels of video games or in gaming centers, but both reported high sound levels and the findings suggest that players are likely “exceeding permitted sound exposure limits and therefore engaging in unsafe listening practices, which could put them at risk of developing permanent hearing loss or tinnitus.”
The authors believe that further research is essential to inform preventive measures and global policies, which could include measures focused on education and awareness of the potential risks of gaming to help promote safe hearing among gamers.
