CS:GO Pro Warns: Flashbang Noise Can Damage Hearing
It turns out that long hours spent playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can take a negative toll on our hearing. At least that's what one pro gamer says.
- CS:GO pro gamer Zero warns that the sounds in Valve's shooter can damage your hearing;
- He is specifically referring to the explosion of tje flashband, which he believes causes tinnitus;
- Many CS:GO forum users are complaining of hearing problems.
Many of the tactics and mechanics of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are based on sound. Players listen for the sound of incoming enemies, and even the slightest rustle can have a major impact on the outcome of a round. For this reason, it is customary to play CS:GO with the volume as high as possible.
Unfortunately, playing this way for long periods of time can take a toll on your hearing. According to professional gamer Patrik "Zero" Žúdel of the Gamer Legion team, the loudness and frequency of the sound accompanying the explosion of a flashbang grenade are the most damaging to our hearing. Players affected by the grenade (and especially those who are directly hit by the flash) also experience a detonation sound effect that is not very pleasant, followed by intense high-frequency sound.
Source: Twitter
High, unpleasant sound of 2600 Hz can have a negative impact on the condition of our ears. According to the player, he's not the only one suffering from the loudness of CS:GO.
Source: Twitter
When it comes to sound, there are at least two parameters that affect our health: decibels (dB) and hertz (Hz). dB measures the intensity of a sound (more than 80 dB is harmful, in various doses, to health), while Hz is used to determine the frequency of vibrations per second. The human ear can detect sounds between 16 and 20,000 Hz.
The popular flashbang sound is said to cause tinnitus, a persistent buzzing in the ears/head that can be heard even though no object in the environment is causing the noise. Another factor causingthis may be, among other things, stress.
While the only thing we can base this on is player feedback, it's hard to disagree with the fact that the sound of exploding flashband is not the most pleasant and lowering it (or changing the frequency) should be nothing more than a minor fix for Valve in the next patch.
