Video Games and Hearing Loss: New Survey Shines Light on Gamer Hearing Health

Playing video games can introduce a risk for hearing damage down the line, though many gamers may not be aware their gaming practice is part of their risk. 

That's according to the results of a survey announced Wednesday by the American Speech-Language-Hearing-Association, the World Health Organization and the WHO Collaborating Center for Rehabilitation in Global Health Systems at the University of Lucerne, Switzerland.

The poll, which was conducted by international online research group YouGov, included about 1,700 gamers between the ages 18 to 35 from the US, Japan and Brazil -- countries that are "world leaders" in video gameplay, per the survey. Respondents said they play an average of 15 hours a week and that 52% of people reported video game behavior that can affect hearing, including using headphones for sound at loud volumes or over long periods of time. Still, the majority of them said they think their listening habits are fine (71% say so about volume, and 68% think time spent listening is fine).

More than 1 in 3 of the participants reported hearing difficulties. Those difficulties were mostly a harder time hearing in noisy areas and tinnitus, which is an internal sound only you can hear caused by damage to the sensory cells in the ear. 

Because the use of headsets and soundtracks are often built into the gaming experience, video gamers may be at an increased risk for noise-induced hearing damage. This is the most common type of hearing damage, typically building over time with long-term exposure to loud volume levels, at work, in your environment or in play. 

Similar to music lovers -- or anyone hooked to earbuds or headphones -- video gamers may be increasing their risk of hearing damage doing what they love. Results of a systematic review published earlier this year in BMJ Public Health suggests that gaming may be a "common source" of unsafe listening. 

Hearing loss from recreational sources or new technology (as opposed to noise-induced hearing loss from workplace exposure, for example) is a big contributor to the growing problem of hearing damage among younger people. The latest research stems from the WHO's Make Listening Safe campaign, which is meant to increase awareness around the new threat of hearing loss among younger generations. It aims to find evidence-based safe listening standards people will actually use where hearing damage may take place -- including during video gaming. According to ASHA's press release, there could be a new standard from the WHO for safe listening during video gaming within the year. 

"Many people tend to minimize risks to their hearing and their hearing difficulties," ASHA President Tena McNamara said in a press release. "If you are exposed regularly to loud sounds and are not adequately protected, hearing loss is likely." 

When there's a global standard, video gamers are likely to be receptive to it. The recent survey also found that the majority of gamers say preserving hearing is important, and are open to making changes to their listening habits to reduce their risk. If that's you, here are some ways you can cut your risk of hearing damage while video gaming.

How to protect your hearing while playing video games 

The ASHA/WHO survey included the following examples of things gamers do to protect their hearing while gaming: 

• Keeping the volume low. You may've already guessed this one, but most hearing damage is done over time after long-term exposure to loud sounds, so the less loud you can make your sound exposure, the more power you take out of an equation that'll build risk over time.
• If possible, turn down or off game noises that don't add to the experience. If you can modify sounds or noise notifications to make the experience less loud, that's one way to help your hearing health without taking away from the main qualities or experience of the game.
• Take breaks. In addition to helping your cardiovascular health by getting up to stretch your legs or taking a break to rehydrate, periodically stepping away from a gaming sesh can cut some exposure to your ears. 
• Using noise-canceling headphones or ones that limit volume. Noise-canceling features are considered better for your hearing health. They cut out unnecessary background noise that adds to overall loudness or prompts you to turn up the volume. 
  
• Sitting far away from the speaker or source of noise. 
• Limiting the amount of time spent gaming, because it's about what's adding to your exposure over time. 

Outside of video gaming, you can give your ears a break through other methods, like choosing to wear ear protection if you go out to see a concert or are in a loud venue. You can also carve out silence or quiet periods for your ears to take a breather, especially if you've been gaming a lot in combination with listening to loud music or going to loud venues.  

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