ANP
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 00:36
Gamers often have the sound turned up so loud that it can lead to hearing damage, a new study shows. The researchers therefore argue for greater awareness of the possible dangers of video games.
The overview study involved a total of more than 50,000 gamers from the US, Europe, Asia and Australia, among others. In many cases the noise level was close to or even above the safe limit. This may be because gamers often wear headphones, but even when gamers sit together the noise level can exceed limit values.
Noisy gaming centers
When playing on mobile devices, the volume often remains modest, but in the mostly Asian gaming centers the noise level can be between 80 and 89 decibels. The volume also comes close to limit values when playing on consoles, according to the study published in BMJ Public Health.
Whether these limits are actually exceeded depends partly on how long you have been gaming. A noise level of 80 dB (comparable to a doorbell) is considered safe for adults as long as you are not exposed to it for more than 40 hours per week.
At 89 dB (about as loud as a crowd of people shouting), that’s just 5 hours a week, according to International Telecommunications Union guidelines. These values are clearly lower for children: a noise level of 80 dB may not last longer than 13 hours per week, 89 dB only more than an hour and a half.
Peak values
In addition to long-term exposure, peak noise can also be dangerous, for example short, intense explosions in a game. For children, a limit of 100 dB applies for peak noise (approximately a fighter jet at a height of 300 meters), while in the study values of 119 dB were measured. That’s almost as loud as a police siren, and approaches the pain threshold.
This remains within the limit value for adults: 130 – 140 dB.
“The study was well conducted,” says Laure Jacquemin, clinical audiologist at the University of Antwerp, who was not involved in the research. She understands that the researchers do not draw too firm conclusions: “Not many studies have been done on the volume during gaming, and the sound levels are not always easy to measure.”
More children with hearing problems
Jacquemin also sees more and more children in her practice with hearing problems, including tinnitus and hypersensitivity to sound. But she doesn’t want to attribute that just to gaming: “I rather think it could be one of the causes. During the week they might play games, but at the weekend they go to a café or concert, and on their bikes they have music.” on their ears.”
The researchers want more attention to be paid to the possible dangers of the noise levels of gaming, and Jacquemin agrees: “We should not worry too much, but some young people are exposed to high noise volumes. There are risks.” These risks do not have to become immediately visible. “Early exposure can lead to problems later.”
Marc van der Schroeff, chairman of the Association for Otorhinolaryngology (ENT), will be a guest on the NOS Radio 1 Journaal on Wednesday morning at 6:30 am to talk about this research.
2024-01-16 23:36:01
#Gaming #lead #hearing #damage #study #shows
