Can playing games cause deafness? Are you still hearing well after being trapped in video games?

Audit expert: Peng Guoqiu

Deputy Chief Physician, Fourth Medical Center, PLA General Hospital

Transform into a ranger and travel the world; transform into a warrior and fight on the battlefield... When playing video games, every click and every jump makes your heart beat faster and your blood boil.

Source: Sina

The virtual world created by video games brings people a full sense of accomplishment and pleasure.

However, there has always been a discussion about the impact of games on health . Parents have always been most concerned about the damage that electronic screens can cause to their children's vision. In fact, the risks of games may not only affect vision!

1

Video games may be stealing your hearing

A recent research review published in the journal BMJ Public Health suggests that video game players around the world may be at risk of permanent hearing loss or tinnitus .

After analyzing 14 studies involving 50,000 subjects, researchers found that the sounds in video games are often very loud, and some even exceed safety standards.

Source: Zhihu

In this review, two studies clearly pointed out that primary school students' frequent use of game centers was significantly associated with their risk of severe tinnitus and bilateral high-frequency hearing loss.

The researchers concluded: "Although the data on which this review is based are relatively limited, they clearly indicate that some gamers, especially those who play games for long periods of time and frequently , are likely to exceed safe limits for sound exposure when sound levels approach or exceed the average values ​​reported in relevant studies, which is equivalent to engaging in listening behaviors that may cause hearing damage, thereby putting them at risk for permanent hearing loss or tinnitus."

Source: Sohu

2

Why does playing games cause hearing damage?

The International Telecommunication Union, together with the World Health Organization, has studied the level of noise that people can tolerate and the amount of time they listen to it, which they call the "exchange rate."

For example, if the exchange rate is 3 decibels, it means that for every 3 decibel increase in noise, the time we can hear the noise will be reduced by half.

For children, if they can listen to 75 decibel noise for 40 hours a week, they can listen to 83 decibel noise for about 6.5 hours a week, and so on, 98 decibel noise can only be listened to for 12 minutes. Therefore, in order to protect hearing, children cannot listen to high-decibel noise for a long time .

Source: Sohu

When playing games, in order to hear the most subtle sound effects, players often turn up the volume to better capture every detail in the game. And because wearing headphones can make the sound surround and stereoscopic, improving the experience, players often wear headphones when playing games.

In addition, once the game starts, the exciting feeling makes people unable to stop, and it often takes several hours of enjoyable playing before ending with satisfaction.

At this time, these long-term, high-decibel noises can easily cause hearing damage to players , especially those action games such as shooting and racing , whose sound effects are often more shocking and pose a greater challenge to people's hearing.

Source: Weibo

Hearing loss not only causes hearing and balance disorders, but also has a significant negative impact on an individual's cognitive abilities.

People with hearing loss often have difficulty in acquiring information, which makes it difficult for them to easily integrate into society and communicate effectively with others. Emotionally, they are prone to feeling depressed; their cognitive abilities may gradually decline; and their sense of happiness in life is reduced.

3

How to protect your hearing?

When enjoying the fun of games, it is equally important to protect your hearing. Wearing headphones for a long time or being exposed to high-decibel game sound effects may cause hearing damage.

Source: China Daily

To protect your hearing while playing games, we can start from the following aspects:

1. First of all, pay attention to controlling the volume . Too high a volume may not only damage hearing, but also cause discomfort. We should adjust the game volume to a moderate level, not exceeding 60% of the maximum volume, to avoid exposing the ears to high-decibel noise for a long time.

2. Secondly, avoid wearing headphones for long periods of time . Headphones are directly close to the ears, and wearing them for long periods of time will increase the risk of hearing loss. Therefore, it is recommended to rest the ears properly between games, or choose to use external sound playback devices such as speakers to reduce pressure on the ears.

3. In addition, choose headphones with noise reduction function . External noise often affects the gaming experience, and noise reduction headphones can effectively reduce these noises, allowing us to focus more on the game. At the same time, it can also reduce the volume requirements of game sound effects, thereby protecting our hearing.

4. Finally, give your ears a rest regularly . After a long game, you can give your ears some time to relax to relieve ear fatigue. Try not to wear headphones for more than 60 minutes.

In order to protect children's hearing health, it is necessary to strictly control the time and frequency of their exposure to high-intensity noise . In addition, we should also strengthen publicity and education to raise children's awareness of the harm of noise, so that they will consciously stay away from noise pollution, thereby effectively preventing the occurrence of hearing damage.

Source: Tencent News

In short, although electronic games bring us endless fun and excitement, we should also pay attention to protecting our hearing. After all, healthy hearing is one of the important prerequisites for us to enjoy life.

So, next time you play games, you might as well pay more attention to your ears so that they can get enough rest and protection!