Safety is Sexy

What does a healthy gaming community actually look like, and can you measure it?In the first episode of Side Quests, our recurring gaming series, I sit down with Rachel Kowert fresh off Games for Change in New York. We dig into what's moving in gaming right now: community health frameworks, the slow death of physical media, industry layoffs hitting safety and accessibility teams, and why the future of games is social.We also get into Rachel's framework era (EFFECT, reporting categories, and the CHEER model for measuring community health), what actually makes a code of conduct work, and a preview of the Digital Thriving Summit in Helsinki.0:00 Cold open2:30 Games for Change recap6:00 Raising Good Gamers and the parent white paper13:50 Rachel's framework era: AFFECT, reporting categories, CHEER19:20 The CHEER model explained26:00 The end of physical media32:00 Industry layoffs and safety teams34:30 AI and the future of work in games36:30 Helsinki Digital Thriving Summit37:50 Rachel's DLC Leadership ProgramLinks:Raising Good Gamers: raisinggoodgamers.orgDLC Leadership Program: https://dlcleadership.org/

Cassie Coccaro, head of communications at Thorn, joins Matt to unpack why "we take safety seriously" isn't transparency, how to spot performative safety PR, and how to tell trust and safety stories without making practitioners the target. The best safety work is invisible: the harm that never happened, the content you never saw. Cassie and Matt dig into how platforms can prove a negative, what a genuinely good transparency report looks like, and why suspiciously timed safety announcements are a red flag. Plus, lessons from TikTok's earliest transparency reports and why brand safety might be the business case that finally gets trust and safety the resources it deserves.

This week, I sit down with Christine Weber, CTO of Twitch, to talk about what it takes to build safety at scale for live streaming. Christine walks through how Twitch approaches moderation across millions of live streams every month, the creator-first tools like Shield Mode and AutoMod that put real control in streamers' hands, and why Twitch has deliberately kept humans in the loop with AI. She also gets into how creator feedback shapes the product, how Twitch thinks about regulation as a starting point rather than a finish line, and what it means to plant a flag and say you're building the safest place to stream on the internet.

Should you build your trust & safety stack in-house or partner with a provider? Matt and Hill Stark break down how to make the call—covering partner fit, testing with your own data, policy-specific moderation, and the real cost of building and maintaining a safety program internally.

Our next episode features Savannah Badalich of Discord, who dives into the power of gaming, her history with games, and how to build safety through thriving. In time for Safer Internet Day, this week Discord has announced that teen-by-default and age assurance is rolling out globally on the platform as another way to help make Discord a safe place for users.Read More about Discord’s Global Teen-By-Default Settings

Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov, Global Head of Parent Advocacy at Roblox and longtime digital parenting expert, unpacks what it means to raise kids in a gaming-first and online world. Dr. Milovidov dives into why conversations matter more than controls and how to use behavior (not just minutes) to gauge whether screen time is healthy. Further, she  shares practical ways to co-play games like Roblox and Minecraft, tips to choose age-appropriate content, how to spot red flags without panicking, and methods to turn safety tools and settings into part of a shared family plan so you can feel less like a tech cop and more like the trusted adult your child needs.

Welcome to our first live recording of the 'Safety is Sexy' podcast. This week I am joined by Weszt Hart, Head of Player Dynamics at Riot Games, to discuss prosocial behavior in online gaming. Weszt shares insights from his extensive experience emphasizing the importance of creating game environments that encourage building trust and fostering positive player interactions. We delve into the definition of prosocial behavior emphasizing actions that benefit others, whether intentional or not. We include practical examples from various games, strategies for fostering trust, and the broader goal of digital thriving.

Safety is Sexy is back with a special TrustCon 2025 episode! This week Matt sits down with the insightful Alice Hunsberger to dive into what makes TrustCon such a meaningful gathering for the trust and safety community. From practical conference tips and awkward networking moments to fashion debates and session previews, Matt and Alice bring warmth, humor, and wisdom as they gear up for another inspiring year. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a seasoned pro, this episode is your optimistic guide to making the most of TrustCon 2025.