Evolving Games - From Youth to Young Adult Safety in Gaming With Matt Soeth

This week, Larry speaks with longtime ConnectSafely partner Matthew Soeth, head of the nonprofit Thriving in Games group, about why online games matter and how to make multiplayer gaming safer and more fun. They discuss the social, cognitive, and teamwork benefits of gaming and esports, including opportunities for neurodivergent youth, and how design choices (like player matching and communication settings) can reduce friction and harassment while encouraging helping behaviors.Matt addresses toxicity, misogyny, moderation, and community self-regulation, and explains why research does not link violent games to offline violence, emphasizing attention to broader behavioral indicators and parent-child conversations. He shares practical parenting advice on setting limits, shared screen time, and staying engaged, and shares his podcast, Safety Is Redacted.00:00 Welcome to Doing Tech Right00:28 Meet Matthew Soes01:58 Why Kids Love Games03:06 Gaming Goes Mainstream05:15 Skills and Esports Benefits07:00 Toxicity and Game Design10:48 Sportsmanship and Cheating14:24 Violence and Ratings18:22 Stereotypes and Overuse20:58 Misogyny and Moderation23:26 Parenting Tips for Gaming26:00 Raising Adults with Boundaries28:00 Matt's Podcast and Wrap Up28:36 Credits and Sign Off