Video Game Noise Exposures Approach Rock Concert Levels

By: Doug Garfield | Posted on: 01-25-2024 | Category: Hearing loss

New research links prolonged loud video gaming to permanent hearing loss and persistent tinnitus (ear-ringing). The study calls attention to the sensory risk recreational video gaming imposes on its three billion fans worldwide.

The study aggregated research from nine countries involving more than 53,000 players.
Reported sound levels frequently neared or exceeded maximum safe limits across various gaming modes.
The duration of exposure compounded risks.

The context: Confirming that prolonged exposure to loud noise causes hearing loss and tinnitus was not the purpose of this research. This is well established.

Too many decibels for too long results in permanent hearing loss regardless of the source—occupational, environmental, or recreational.
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) was recognized as a medical condition in the US during the Industrial Revolution. Then, it was called boilermaker's disease due to the hearing loss of workers who manufactured engines for transportation and industrial use.
Fun facts: Earplugs were patented in 1864; hearing protection was mentioned in ancient Greek mythology.

Why it matters

The practical value of this research is in building awareness for players and parents.

Three billion people are at risk from NIHL from video games and related social, psychological, and physical health problems.
While NIHL interferes with communication and learning, it also increases the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, heart problems, as well as depression, anxiety, feelings of isolation, and sadness.
Players who spend hours immersed in games need to become aware of sound exposures that could unknowingly disrupt their lives in the future.

Specific findings

Long sessions at gaming doubled severe tinnitus odds and high-frequency hearing loss, critical for understanding speech.
Loud mobile gameplay was broadly linked with self-reported hearing difficulty.
Gunshot-like bursts in some games exceeded 119 dB, as loud as a rock concert. For context, 100 dB is the cutoff for children’s momentary exposure. Adults risk permanent damage at impulses of 130-140 decibels.
Direct measurements found average game volumes of 85-91 dB with headphones, approaching max permissible levels.

Sound details

Acceptable levels of recreational sound exposure are estimated from equivalent occupational noise-exposure limits. For adults working a 40-hour week, this has been defined as an average sound intensity of 80 decibels (dB).

Sound intensity doubles for every increase of 3 dB (the decibel scale is logarithmic, not linear).
As a result, unhealthy levels of noise vary drastically from small changes in sound level.
In practice, this means: For every 3 dB increase in noise level, the allowable exposure time should be reduced by half

Examples of safe noise exposure

Note: The total exposure-time estimates reported below are per week.

Using the standard for adults of 80 dB for 40 hours a week, then exposure time should be halved as follows:
- 83 dB sound is 20 hours a week (2 times more intense than 80 dB)
- 86 dB sound is 10 hours a week (3 times more intense than 80 dB)
- 92 dB sound is 2.5 hours a week (4 times more intense than 80 dB)
- 98 dB sound is 38 min a week (6 times more intense than 80 dB)
For children, healthy noise exposure levels are lower and based on a noise exposure level of 75 dB for 40 hours a week. For every increase of 3 dB, children's exposure time should be halved as follows:
- 83 dB sound for approximately 6.5 hours a week
- 86 dB sound for approximately 3.25 hours a week
- 92 dB sound for 45 min a week
- 98 dB sound for only 12 min per week a week