People in the music industry (including us) keep talking about Fortnite, but we think Roblox is another gaming platform that shouldn’t be under our industry’s radar.
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A new report from children’s media research firm Dubit offers some statistics that may help. “Half of 9-12 year olds in the US play Roblox weekly, logging more than 1.5 billion hours per month on the platform,” he explained.
Parental Controls: Safety First
Children can contact other users through the platform and for parents this triggers safety alerts. ConnectSafely’s parent’s guide notes that games can be “virtual playdates” between peers, but parents can oversee those interactions using privacy features.
The ConnectSafely guide does not take a firm stance on whether a user should play games with people they don’t know because, in reality, it’s a parental call. Some parents are lenient with interactions (especially if a player is an older teenager), but others may want more control.
What do kids like about Roblox?
- Roblox is free to download and play. Kids need to buy Robux currency for additional features and accessories, and to access some games, but Roblox can be played without spending any money.
- Creating Roblox games is easy. Roblox Studio tools are easy to learn for kids and coding beginners. And it’s a safe environment for new coders to try and try again on their way to creating a real game.
- Kids can earn money on Roblox. If a Roblox game becomes popular enough, the coder can be rewarded with money for creating them.
Roblox uses a team of 2,300 people plus AI to monitor its games, but children can still find inappropriate or sexual content, for example in so-called “Condo games” which often feature adult content, simulated sex acts, images and language.
Entertainment platform to play
Roblox games are multiplayer social experiences. In fact, Roblox could be your child’s first digital socialization experience. Players can comment and chat with other players in-game and chat with their friends on Roblox. Parents can turn off Roblox’s social features (see the “Roblox Social Features” sidebar. Roblox also offers a guide for parents at corp.roblox.com/parents).
While Roblox’s social features may worry parents, Roblox’s social feature can also give parents the opportunity to help kids develop good digital habits that will last a lifetime. This is important, considering that – at some point – your child will likely use other social media platforms that don’t offer parental controls.
What do players see and do on Roblox?
With their customizable avatars, Roblox players are immersed in a colorful and dynamic 3D virtual world that they can explore and navigate via touchscreens, game controllers or taps and clicks mouse pad – like no other video game.
As a platform to reach consumers, Roblox is now big business: major brands, such as Gucci, have partnered with Roblox to create virtual stores that sell exclusive virtual products for consumers. avatars, such as sunglasses and polka dots. Meanwhile, musicians such as Lil Nas X and Twenty One Pilots held virtual concerts that drew millions of viewers.
