A recent study suggests that video game players may be at risk of hearing damage due to potentially harmful sound levels. The review, which analysed 14 studies involving over 50,000 participants, found that gamers often play for extended periods with the volume turned up beyond safe limits, potentially leading to permanent hearing loss or tinnitus.

The researchers call for increased public health efforts to raise awareness about the risks associated with gaming, similar to the initiatives taken for live music and headphone usage. Although gamers could reduce the risk by lowering the volume, the study indicates that the duration of exposure to high volumes is also a significant factor.

The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines state that adults can safely be exposed to 80 decibels (dB) for 40 hours a week, which is roughly equivalent to the sound of a doorbell. However, the safe exposure time decreases rapidly as the noise level increases. For instance, adults should limit their exposure to 90dB to four hours a week and 95dB to just one hour and 15 minutes per week, with even lower thresholds for children.

Some of the studies evaluated found that average headphone noise levels in shooting games ranged from 88.5 to 91.2 dB, while impulse sounds, such as shooting noises, reached 119 dB. Additionally, several studies noted that boys played video games more frequently and for longer durations than girls, and at higher volumes.

While some studies found correlations between gaming and hearing loss or tinnitus, the authors acknowledge that more research is needed to establish a stronger link. They also suggest that future studies should investigate the impact of factors such as e-sports, geographic region, sex, and age.

The gaming industry body Ukie encourages players to use headphones within safe levels but declined to comment further on the study. To protect their hearing while gaming, players are advised to turn down the volume, take regular breaks, and use noise-cancelling headphones in noisy environments while adhering to safe volume limits.