Roblox is a popular online gaming platform that every child knows about. Most of its users are teenagers from all over the world who are not yet 13 years old. There you can not only play other people's games, but also create your own, and in some cases, earn big money on it. Learn more about roblox scripts.

What it is

Roblox was created in 2004 by David Bazooki and Eric Cassel. Initially, they imagined it as a new category of games "for people who do things together." 

The rough, blocky aesthetic typical of this platform turned off adults, but proved to be quite appealing to children. Just as previous generations used random items from cardboard boxes to pillows to build a castle in their apartment, today's kids create their own online worlds filled with characters and story. At the same time, not only a neighbor on the porch, but also a child from any part of the planet can now evaluate the created universe and play there together. 

All created virtual worlds are interconnected, as in a shopping center. And the users of the game themselves choose what they want to see there - from the Naruto anime village to the high school for mermaids. Using Roblox's built-in tools, kids' versions of the professional software, young gamers can learn the basics of computer programming and 3D modeling. 

There are now more than 27 million games published on the platform, many of which were created by children. As of the second quarter of 2021, more than 50% of Roblox users are under 13 years old. More than half of American teenagers have accounts on this network.

How to make money on it

At first, the company was afraid to offer users to earn money on the content they created. After all, everything related to finances and children is fraught with legal difficulties. But at some point everything changed. Roblox has taken on a new slogan: "Do anything. Reach millions. Make some serious money." In this way, the company encouraged users to create and sell costumes and accessories for digital avatars. 30% of the sale went to Roblox, the rest went to the creator. 

The game has its own currency called robux. They can be exchanged for real money at the rate set by the creators of the game. So, in 2020, Roblox paid $250,000 to game developers. However, this amount is several times less than what users spent on the purchase of products in the game - $ 1.9 billion. 

In the spring of 2021, Roblox entered the stock market, and in November its capitalization exceeded $62 billion. The growth of shares coincided with the company's latest quarterly report, which indicated that the number of players reached 47 million, and revenue increased by 102% and exceeded $500 million. First The rise of the game was attributed to the fact that during the quarantine, children began to spend much more time on the Web. However, the number of users continues to grow even after hard lockdowns. 

At the same time, the platform itself  is considered  unprofitable. The company's net loss in 2020 was $253 million. However, in the context of interest in the metaverse, investors are more interested in the company's growth rate and the ability to use the user base for more complex virtual sites in the future. 

The company has already bypassed such giants of the gaming industry as Nintendo, although in fact this gaming empire, according to  experts  , is built on the labor of children. 

What's wrong with her

At the beginning of 2022, The Guardian newspaper  released  a large investigation in which they spoke about the unsightly side of the popular game. Its creators are actually accused of turning a blind eye to the exploitation of child labor, and young participants in the game are in no way protected from harassment or the risk of being deceived by older and more experienced players. 

One of the publication's interlocutors created her first game on Roblox when she was only 10 years old. As her development skills improved, she received a collaboration offer from older players who were in their 20s at the time. Together they started working on a big game project in Roblox. For this, the teenager was promised 10% of the profits received in the future.

Their game really became popular. At 16, the girl was earning $300,000 a year, but she still worked without a contract. This led to the fact that at some point the owners of the game's account "downgraded" it from the level of a collaborator to a regular contractor. She did not have the right to vote, so the girl simply left the project. 

16-year-old Regan Green from Ontario has been playing Roblox since he was six years old, and when he was 12 he joined one of the development teams. His 24-year-old boss proved to be very demanding, so Green worked hours at a time to the detriment of sleep and mental health. However, he was afraid to complain about working conditions so that he would not be kicked out of the project. Another of the young developers admitted that she was constantly the target of indecent jokes and photos from the leader of her team. However, Roblox has only recently begun to tackle the sexualization of women and girls on its platform.

By teaching children how to create and sell their creative projects, Roblox does not tell users anything about how to work in a team and protect the fruits of their labor, the investigation concludes. 

Game Chat Security

All Roblox users can communicate via text chat. Its content is automatically filtered based on the player's age. However, some options need to be set manually. For example, if you do not want your child to receive messages from strangers, you need to  specify  this in the "Account Settings" section. 

The automated moderation system is aimed not only at direct provocations, but catches phrases like "Where do you live?" and "Do you want to meet?", which are potentially dangerous for your child. Games with inappropriate themes, such as pornography and violence, are also regularly removed from the platform.

At the end of 2021, Roblox added voice chat, which is available to all users over the age of 13. This feature is currently in beta testing. To enable it, you need to provide a document proving the identity and age of the player.

Thus, the creators of the project want to create an even greater effect of presence, team interaction on the way to building a real metaverse. However, the new option further complicated the moderation process.

After its launch, some users  began  to complain about obscene language, which is now constantly heard in the chat. Players admit that during the game you can now hear anything from imitation of sexual sounds to offers to sell drugs. 

Web security experts believe the new feature makes teens an easy target. Any stranger can approach your child during the game and make contact with him. Another point is related to privacy. Roblox profiles currently don't include players' ages, but the absence of the Audio Chat icon will now make younger children more recognizable, and therefore vulnerable. 

Of course, the player can report toxic users to the support service, but the child is not always able to recognize a dangerous situation. In addition, the Washington Post edition  doubts  the effectiveness of such appeals: "They are so ineffective that it has already become a meme."