A different kind of “gamer” hotline: Free, anonymous emotional support

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  Say hello to the Games and Online Harassment Hotline. [credit: Games and Online Harassment Hotline ]

The classic version of "gamer support hotlines" revolved around a late '80s and early '90s period of titans like Nintendo and Sega. You'd either make a long-distance call or call a 1-900 line to get help from a live counselor on how to beat a tough video game.

Those kinds of hotlines are long gone, replaced by YouTube tutorials-which is fair enough, because it's usually easy to spell out steps to fight a boss or solve a puzzle. This week, a completely different type of gamer-centric hotline has emerged to address an industrywide issue that isn't as easily solved by walkthroughs: emotional support.

The Games and Online Harassment Hotline (GOHH) launches today as a free text-based hotline that anyone can use to begin talking about the emotional issues that emerge all over the gaming industry. Twitch streamers, game developers, Discord server members, even online trolls: all are invited to begin talking-anonymously and confidentially-about mental health with counselors who are equipped to understand gaming's social systems and lingo.

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