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For several years now we have been trying to define whether video games are mind-numbing, whether they really damage the big TV in the living room (as our parents once said), whether they make people violent and/or if it contributes to academic failure. At the end of last year, yet another study sought to demonstrate whether or not playing violent video games could be an additional factor that could contribute to aggressive behavior. But today, a study published in the very serious BMJ Public Health, explains that video games could also cause hearing damage.
Do video games (also) make you deaf?
Indeed, for many players, the days of indulging in their video game passion on a small cathode TV, with the sound set to minimum so as not to disturb the parents, are long gone. Today, we have the choice of a home cinema worthy of the name or even headphones dedicated to playing video games. Likewise, goodbye to 8 and 16 bit sounds, and make way for ever more realistic, ever more powerful audio effects.
According to Lauren K. Dillard of the Medical University of South Carolina, there could be a link to video game playing, and a loss hearing and/or tinnitus. For this, two factors come into account: the volume and the time of exposure to a certain volume.
Also, with players who tend to favor the use of headphones, to play with a volume worthy of the name, and gaming sessions which sometimes extend over several hours , the risk is real. According to the WHO, an adult can tolerate up to 95 dB for a little over an hour each day, without risking hearing loss.
According to the study (conducted on more than 50,000 players scattered across ten countries), on shooting games (Call of Duty style), the average volume of headphones is 88.5 to 91.2 dB. Impulse sounds can even reach a peak of 119 dB.
“The results suggest that there may be a need to prioritize interventions, such as health-focused initiatives; Education and awareness of potential gaming risks, which can help promote safe listening among gamers“, write the authors of the study. Of course, video games or not, it goes without saying that any misuse of audio equipment can cause hearing damage.
And if, like us, you are an avid fan of video games “old-fashioned& #8220;, we invite you to discover our new section Re:Play, dedicated to retrogaming, with a first episode which returns to a certain Silent Hill, launched there is 25 years old on PlayStation.
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