A Hotline for Dealing with Harassment and Abuse in Gaming is Coming

Over the past few weeks, a frankly disturbing number of reports of sexual and physical abuse have cropped up from all spheres of the gaming world, with a shocking number of people coming forward to reveal just how rotten the industry – and the culture – is to both its employees and to women as a whole. Individuals have been tired and companies have been taking action, but these feel like band-aid solutions that address individuals, not the culture that seems to draw them into positions of power.

It’s always been bad, of course, but with this recent explosion of exposure it seems some people are trying to do something about it, which is why some innovative souls have started up The Games and Online Harassment Hotline.

The Games and Online Harassment Hotline is a free, text message-based, confidential emotional support hotline. We created the Hotline specifically for the gaming community. Whether you’re a player, a developer, a streamer, a competitor — any part of this community —we’re here for you, whether that means offering emotional support or finding the referrals and resources that you need.

It's pretty simple: if you’re in the US, you can text “support” to 23368 for a few hours between Monday and Friday. After answering a few automated questions, you can then chat to a person who’ll help you with whatever you’re experiencing, and will hopefully be able to offer additional support and resources.

This is a wonderful idea and I hope that it gets the support and attention it deserves, however, if it does get attention, it’ll probably be for the wrong reasons. Specifically, because this appears to be the brainchild of the world-famous Anita Sarkeesian, founder of Feminist Frequency and most undeservedly hated person in gaming. So I suspect – with great bitterness – that this is more likely going to be used by trolls and buttheads rather than the people who actually need it.

I hope I’m wrong about this, but I’m quite sure I’m not.