United States: One of the major breaks in entertainment circles in the recent years is the popularity of video games. The NIH National Research Institutes (NIH) organized an experiment to measure the impact of children who spent three hours or more playing video games every day. The results showed that they showed better performance in various tests related to cognitive skills.
Although, however, a study that was done recently showed that there is now a probable link between the occurrence of hearing problems among individuals who play video games daily.
Presently, the use of video games is the most browsed game, especially in the generation of the young. According to NIH’s statistics, about 90 percent are older than two years of age among all kid who play them.
Astor Singh, a graduate assistant in the eSports program at UAlbany, stated, “Growing up in my household, I was really one of the only ones in my house. So for me, it was really a good way to get social and really get connected well to a lot of people at a younger age,” as spectrumlocalnews.com reported.
Astor has been involved in the eSports club in UAlbany, where she takes on games competitively. The role played by the eSports program at the University of Albany has been critical to its visionary success since its founding in 2019. Today, it has grown to become the largest and most established competitive collegiate e-gaming program in the country. Due to the organization’s development, the UAlbany eSports team is also creating the largest and greatest eSports facility on its Uptown Campus.
As it appeared that playing video games is associated with hearing loss, a recently held study showed “those who game regularly, as compared to those who do not, are more likely to experience tinnitus, measured high-frequency hearing loss, and self-perceived difficulties hearing.”
The research observed 54,000 adults and children from around the world.
John Macone, director of eSports at UAlbany, said, “There is an aspect of gaming that makes you get more involved, right? That it draws you in more. It might be a little harder to recognize when you’re starting to get more physically uncomfortable or have those symptoms or feelings until you stop, and then you recognize,” as spectrumlocalnews.com reported.
Dr. Patrick Bergmann, who is an audiologist, said that a safe level of sound is usually considered to be around 60 decibels, which is generally what a person speaks at. The visual signs that headphone noise is too loud for human health could be ringing in the ears or headaches.
Bergmann also added, “Generally, we tell people if you are in a room and another person can hear the music or the video game through their earpiece, it’s probably too loud.”
As per the expert’s recommendation, playing video games could be a great activity for kids and adults alike. However, it doesn’t cause any harm unless done in moderation.