Over a third of gamers left frustrated - by fellow players munching on snacks, study finds

Nearly nine in ten gamers (86%) like to enjoy a snack while gaming – and now, new “crunch cancelling” software means they can tuck into a tasty treat without disturbing fellow players.

A poll of 2,000 gamers found that 36% often eat whilst playing, with this rising to 44% of 18-24-year-olds.

But over a third (35%) are left frustrated when they hear other players munching over the headset – with the crunching of crisps deemed the worst food sound, for 47%.

In fact, three in ten (29%) believe the sound of someone else eating affects their own gaming performance, or that of their teammates (15%). And almost a fifth (18%) have been left so frustrated by it, that they have been tempted to stop playing and log off.

However, a new AI-powered software has come to the rescue, allowing gamers to enjoy their snacks without annoying others – by separating the crunch of a snack, from the sound of someone's voice.

The tech is able to detect the difference between someone speaking, and the sound of someone munching – and “cancels” out the latter, meaning people can crunch away without making a sound.

Created by software developer, and keen gamer, Dylan Fashbaugh, “Doritos Silent” is the world's first AI-augmented “silent” tortilla chip tech. It has been in development for half a year, involving analysis of over 5,000 crunch sounds.

Users can now download the software from the brand’s website, and use on PC headsets free of charge. Once installed, you simply turn it on, and it can work in conjunction with any software that supports voice chat.

Dylan Fashbaugh, of Smooth Technology, said: “I jumped at the opportunity to create the first-ever “silent” tortilla chip. As a gamer myself, I can testify that nothing throws me off my game more than the sound of someone else tucking into a tasty snack.

“After trialling more than 5,000 crunch sounds, and carefully training the software to remove the sound, this launch means everyone will be able to enjoy Doritos, whilst cancelling out the crunch.”

And the crunch-cancelling technology will not only be helpful to gamers, but also to people working from home, allowing them to crunch through crisps while dialling into a work call, if they so wish.

A separate poll of 2,000 adults found that, in general, almost half (46%) dislike the sound of other people eating.

More than a third (35%) find someone else crunching snacks distracting – and 41% feel self-conscious of making too much noise when enjoying crunchy snacks themselves, according to the OnePoll figures.

A spokesman from Doritos said: “It’s been hard to keep this one quiet, but we are finally able to reveal the launch of our “Crunch Cancellation” technology.

“We know that the nation loves the satisfying crunch of our tortilla chips, but listening to someone else enjoy them can be off-putting.

“That’s why we set out to develop the first-ever AI-augmented “silent” snack – and after months of expert development, people across the country can finally crunch down a microphone without making a sound.”