A Twitch gamer who shaved his head for charity during a live stream was left in shock when he discovered an indent in his head where his headphones sit.
Streamer Curtoss was in horror after running the buzzer over his skull, revealing a headband-shaped dent caused by wearing his pair too long.
Many other gamers have since come forward to share their ‘gamer heads’ in solidarity – with one man revealing it appeared after wearing headphones for 14 hours.
However, the indentation is part of experts’ prediction of avid gamers’ appearance in 20 years, including bloodshot eyes and blistered hands.
Streamer Curtoss was shaving his head during a live stream. The event was to raise money for cancer
In the clip, Curtoss said: ‘Dude, the shaver’s working like a champ.
‘I’m looking at an indent here; this is where my headphones go. I have a f**king headphone indent in my head. What the f**k.
‘I thought that was just my hair; I thought just my hair did that.’
The indentation, however, does not form an actual dent in the head – birth injuries and some types of bone tumors typically cause this.
The gamer head resembles marks left on the face after people remove their glasses.
Dedicated players can apply pressure or massage the area when they spot a dent.
Another fix is a hot shower that should help the skin return to normal.
Curtoss’ video saw more than 42 million views on Twitter with thousands of comments, many suggesting the streaming switch to earbuds.
One user commented: ‘New fear unlocked, Brb checking my head.’
He noticed an indentation on the top of his head while buzzing off his hair. The dent is from wearing headphones for hours straight
The indentation is part of experts’ prediction of avid gamers’ appearance in 20 years, including bloodshot eyes and blistered hands.
Many other gamers have since come forward to share their ‘gamer heads’ in solidarity
The indentation on Curtoss’ head looks eerily similar to a design of what video gamers could look like in the future.
A grotesque model named ‘Michael’ shows how hunching over consoles might affect avid gamers.
This cautionary vision was cooked up by researchers based on globally-sourced reports on the physical impacts of the gamer lifestyle.
‘Everyone meet Michael, a visual representation of the future gamer,’ said a spokesperson for OnlineCasino.ca, the Canadian site that undertook the study.
The research, they added, ‘predicted how avid gamers could look in the next twenty years if they didn’t change their lifestyle habits.’
‘From sleep deprivation and dehydration to lack of vitamin D, digital eye strain and ‘PlayStation thumb’ are just some of the physical implications of spending hours online, in a gaming chair, away from sunlight and physical activity.’
The indentations do not form an actual dent in the head – birth injuries and some types of bone tumors typically cause this
To design Michael, researchers reviewed reports by such organizations as the National Health Service, the World Health Organization, National Geographic and UK interactive entertainment on the potential effects of the gamer lifestyle.
This included the physical impacts on the human body — including muscles, skin, eyes and hair — of remaining indoors, sitting in a chair and spending excessive time staring at a computer screen.
Using this information, the team worked with animators and artists to create Michael – a visual representation of a future gamer.
A poor diet and too much time out of the sun and under artificial light have given him pale and pasty skin from insufficient Vitamin D and B-12.
His back is now permanently bent from his poor gaming posture, and he has stress-related eczema across his legs and arms.
The full findings of the study were published on the OnlineCasino.ca website.
