A new study has found that playing video games can damage your hearing. The study says that gamers often play with the volume turned up really loud for a long time. This can hurt your ears and make it hard to hear properly. The study looked at 14 other studies with over 50,000 people. It says that we need to do more to tell people about the risks of playing games on their hearing. The World Health Organization says that adults shouldn’t listen to sounds that are louder than 80 decibels for more than 40 hours a week. For kids, it’s even lower. Some of the studies found that the sounds in shooting games were between 88.5 and 91.2 decibels. That’s really loud! The study also found that boys play games more often and for longer than girls, and they play at higher volumes. Some studies found that playing games can cause hearing loss, while others found that it can cause a condition called tinnitus. The people who did the study say that we need to do more research to know for sure if playing games can hurt your hearing. They also say that we should look at things like e-sports, where people play games competitively, and where people live, and how old they are, and if they’re a boy or a girl. The study says that playing games might be a common way that people hurt their hearing, so we need to teach people how to listen safely. The people who make video games say that we should use headphones at a safe volume, but they didn’t say anything else about the study. To protect your hearing while playing games, it’s a good idea to turn the volume down to about half, take breaks every hour, and use headphones that block out noise in loud places.

Original news source: Gamers at risk of irreversible hearing loss and tinnitus, study suggests (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a different section of the article. In their groups, students should read their assigned section and summarize the main points in a short news summary. Afterward, each group can present their summary to the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Have students form pairs or small groups. Give each group a list of statements related to the article, such as “Playing video games is a common way people damage their hearing” or “Using headphones at a safe volume can protect your hearing while playing games.” Students should discuss each statement and indicate whether they agree or disagree, and why. Afterward, each group can share their opinions with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board, such as “decibels,” “tinnitus,” and “e-sports.” Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and have one minute to draw a picture representing one of the vocabulary words. The team members must guess the word based on the drawing. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have students create catchy headlines for the article. The headlines should capture the main idea or a key point from the article. Afterward, each group can share their headlines with the class and discuss why they chose them.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. One group will brainstorm the pros of playing video games, while the other group will brainstorm the cons. Each group should come up with at least three points for their side. Afterward, have a class discussion where students present their points and discuss the overall benefits and drawbacks of playing video games.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the study find about playing video games and hearing damage?
2. Why do gamers often play with the volume turned up really loud?
3. How many studies did the study look at, and how many people were involved?
4. What does the World Health Organization recommend for adults in terms of listening to loud sounds?
5. Why is it important to teach people about the risks of playing games on their hearing?
6. What were some of the decibel levels found in shooting games?
7. How do boys and girls differ in terms of playing video games?
8. What are some ways to protect your hearing while playing games?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A new study has found that playing video games can damage your hearing. The study says that gamers often play with the volume turned up really loud for a long time. This can hurt your ears and make it hard to hear properly. The study (1)______ at 14 other studies with over 50,000 (2)______. It says that we need to do more to tell people about the risks of playing games on their hearing. The (3)______ Health (4)______ says that (5)______ shouldn’t listen to sounds that are louder than 80 decibels for more than 40 (6)______ a week. For kids, it’s even lower. Some of the studies found that the sounds in shooting (7)______ were between 88.5 and 91.2 decibels. That’s really loud! The study also found that boys play games more often and for longer than girls, and they play at higher volumes. Some studies found that (8)______ games can cause hearing loss, while (9)______ found that it can cause a condition (10)______ tinnitus. The people who did the (11)______ say that we need to do more (12)______ to know for sure if playing games can hurt your hearing. They also say that we should look at things like e-sports, where people play games competitively, and where people live, and how old they are, and if they’re a boy or a girl. The study says that playing games might be a common way that people hurt their hearing, so we need to teach people how to listen safely. The people who make video games say that we should use headphones at a safe volume, but they didn’t say anything else about the study. To protect your hearing while playing games, it’s a good idea to turn the volume down to about half, take breaks every hour, and use headphones that block out noise in loud places.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. Do you like playing video games? Why or why not?
2. How often do you play video games?
3. Have you ever played video games with the volume turned up really loud? How did it make you feel?
4. Do you think playing video games can damage your hearing? Why or why not?
5. What is tinnitus? Have you ever experienced it?
6. How would you feel if you couldn’t hear properly because of playing video games?
7. Do you think it’s important to educate people about the risks of playing games on their hearing? Why or why not?
8. What are some ways we can listen to video games safely?
9. Have you ever used headphones while playing video games? Did it make a difference in the volume?
10. How do you think e-sports might affect a person’s hearing?
11. Do you think boys play video games more often and for longer than girls? Why or why not?
12. How do you protect your hearing in loud places?
13. Have you ever taken breaks while playing video games? How often do you take breaks?
14. What do you think the video game industry can do to promote safe listening practices?
15. How would you feel if you couldn’t play video games anymore because of hearing damage?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. damage
2. volume
3. proper
4. risks
5. decibels
6. competitive
7. condition
8. tinnitus
9. research
10. e-sports
11. common
12. safely
13. headphones
14. breaks
15. block

Meanings:
(A) Happening often or widespread
(B) The state of something, especially regarding its appearance or quality
(C) Careful study to find and report new knowledge
(D) Chances of something bad happening
(E) A ringing or buzzing in the ears when there’s no outside source for the sound
(F) Devices you wear on your ears to listen to sound privately
(G) The loudness of a sound
(H) In a way that prevents harm or danger
(I) To stop something from passing through or entering
(J) To harm or break something
(K) Video game competitions
(L) Trying to win against others
(M) A unit for measuring how loud a sound is
(N) Short periods of rest or interruption from activity
(O) Correct or suitable for a particular purpose
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did a new study find about playing video games?
(a) It can improve your hearing
(b) It can make you a better listener
(c) It can damage your hearing
(d) It has no effect on your hearing

2. Why do gamers often play with the volume turned up really loud?
(a) They enjoy the immersive experience
(b) They want to annoy people around them
(c) They believe it makes them better at the game
(d) They are unaware of the risks

3. How many people were involved in the 14 studies analyzed in the study?
(a) Over 100,000
(b) Over 50,000
(c) Over 10,000
(d) Over 1,000

4. What is the recommended maximum volume for adults to listen to sounds?
(a) 100 decibels
(b) 60 decibels
(c) 120 decibels
(d) 80 decibels

5. What did some of the studies find about the volume of sounds in shooting games?
(a) Between 70 and 75 decibels
(b) Between 100 and 105 decibels
(c) Between 88.5 and 91.2 decibels
(d) Between 60 and 65 decibels

6. Who plays games more often and for longer, according to the study?
(a) Girls
(b) Adults
(c) Elderly people
(d) Boys

7. What is one potential condition that playing games can cause, according to the study?
(a) Blindness
(b) Tinnitus
(c) Dizziness
(d) Insomnia

8. What is one recommendation from the study to protect your hearing while playing games?
(a) Turn the volume down to about half
(b) Turn the volume up to the maximum
(c) Play games for several hours without breaks
(d) Use headphones that amplify noise in loud places

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Some shooting games have sounds that reach below 88.5 and 91.2 decibels, which is considered very quiet.
2. More research is needed to fully understand the impact of playing games on hearing, taking into account factors like e-sports, age, and gender.
3. To protect your hearing while playing games, it is recommended to lower the volume to about half, take breaks every hour, and use noise-canceling headphones in noisy environments.
4. The World Health Organization recommends that adults should not listen to sounds louder than 80 decibels for more than 40 hours a week.
5. The study looked at 14 other studies involving over 50,000 people to understand the benefits of playing games on hearing.
6. Playing video games with the volume turned down really low for a short time can improve your hearing, according to a new study.
7. Boys tend to play games less frequently and for shorter durations than girls, and they also play at lower volumes, as found by the study.
8. Different studies have shown that playing games can lead to hearing loss or a condition called tinnitus.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did a new study find about playing video games and hearing?
2. Why can playing video games with the volume turned up really loud be harmful?
3. What did the study look at to come to its conclusions?
4. According to the World Health Organization, how many decibels should adults not listen to sounds louder than for more than 40 hours a week?
5. What are some recommendations to protect your hearing while playing video games?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. The study found that playing video games can damage your hearing.
2. Gamers often play with the volume turned up really loud because they want to have a more immersive gaming experience.
3. The study looked at 14 other studies with over 50,000 people.
4. The World Health Organization recommends that adults shouldn’t listen to sounds that are louder than 80 decibels for more than 40 hours a week.
5. It is important to teach people about the risks of playing games on their hearing to raise awareness and prevent potential hearing damage.
6. Some of the decibel levels found in shooting games were between 88.5 and 91.2 decibels.
7. Boys play games more often and for longer than girls, and they also play at higher volumes.
8. Some ways to protect your hearing while playing games include turning the volume down to about half, taking breaks every hour, and using headphones that block out noise in loud places.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) looked
(2) people
(3) World
(4) Organization
(5) adults
(6) hours
(7) games
(8) playing
(9) others
(10) called
(11) study
(12) research
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. damage
Answer: (J) To harm or break something

2. volume
Answer: (G) The loudness of a sound

3. proper
Answer: (O) Correct or suitable for a particular purpose

4. risks
Answer: (D) Chances of something bad happening

5. decibels
Answer: (M) A unit for measuring how loud a sound is

6. competitive
Answer: (L) Trying to win against others

7. condition
Answer: (B) The state of something, especially regarding its appearance or quality

8. tinnitus
Answer: (E) A ringing or buzzing in the ears when there’s no outside source for the sound

9. research
Answer: (C) Careful study to find and report new knowledge

10. e-sports
Answer: (K) Video game competitions

11. common
Answer: (A) Happening often or widespread

12. safely
Answer: (H) In a way that prevents harm or danger

13. headphones
Answer: (F) Devices you wear on your ears to listen to sound privately

14. breaks
Answer: (N) Short periods of rest or interruption from activity

15. block
Answer: (I) To stop something from passing through or entering
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did a new study find about playing video games?
Answer: (c) It can damage your hearing

2. Why do gamers often play with the volume turned up really loud?
Answer: (a) They enjoy the immersive experience

3. How many people were involved in the 14 studies analyzed in the study?
Answer: (b) Over 50,000

4. What is the recommended maximum volume for adults to listen to sounds?
Answer: (d) 80 decibels

5. What did some of the studies find about the volume of sounds in shooting games?
Answer: (c) Between 88.5 and 91.2 decibels

6. Who plays games more often and for longer, according to the study?
Answer: (d) Boys

7. What is one potential condition that playing games can cause, according to the study?
Answer: (b) Tinnitus

8. What is one recommendation from the study to protect your hearing while playing games?
Answer: (a) Turn the volume down to about half
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Some shooting games have sounds that reach below 88.5 and 91.2 decibels, which is considered very quiet. (Answer: False)
2. More research is needed to fully understand the impact of playing games on hearing, taking into account factors like e-sports, age, and gender. (Answer: True)
3. To protect your hearing while playing games, it is recommended to lower the volume to about half, take breaks every hour, and use noise-canceling headphones in noisy environments. (Answer: True)
4. The World Health Organization recommends that adults should not listen to sounds louder than 80 decibels for more than 40 hours a week. (Answer: True)
5. The study looked at 14 other studies involving over 50,000 people to understand the benefits of playing games on hearing. (Answer: False)
6. Playing video games with the volume turned down really low for a short time can improve your hearing, according to a new study. (Answer: False)
7. Boys tend to play games less frequently and for shorter durations than girls, and they also play at lower volumes, as found by the study. (Answer: False)
8. Different studies have shown that playing games can lead to hearing loss or a condition called tinnitus. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧