For over three years, we offered emotional support and basic digital safety guidance to people experiencing online harassment (in video games, on social media, or through online communities), workplace hostility or abuse in the games industry, sexual violence and stalking, digital blackmail and sextortion, interpersonal conflicts and fallouts, and more. Different users shared over the years that texting with us provided them with hope, gave them tangible resources and next steps, showed soothing compassion and validation, and just offered a space to talk things out and detangle all of the feelings and circumstances that had been roiling all around them.

Beyond the numbers, we believe the Games Hotline had further cultural impacts in cultivating hope for a healthier and kinder games community, modeling compassionate care and non-judgmental acceptance, and interrupting cycles of abuse and shame. We know that the seeds we’ve planted will outlive the Games Hotline and sprout in unexpected and hopeful ways.

Read more in our Final Impact Report about the over 700 conversations we had on the Hotline, what we supported folks around, how trends changed over the past three years, and what we learned.