Created and released in 2006, Roblox has become one of the most frequented online video gaming platforms. The San Mateo, California-based company named Roblox Corporation developed the gaming platform. The rising popularity of Roblox has been exciting for kids and adults alike, but it has also been somewhat concerning for parents of tweens who spend much of their day sitting in front of the computer screen, gaming on Roblox.
Here are a few reasons why the popularity of Roblox is rising amongst tweens and why Roblox may just be worth all the hype.
What Exactly Is Roblox?
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Roblox is a masterpiece created by the Canadian-American entrepreneur and inventor David Baszucki with his partner Erik Cassel back in 2004. The platform was finally released on PC in 2006. Later it was also released on iOS in 2012, on Android in 2014, and Xbox One in 2015. The versatility of Roblox has primarily contributed to its popularity. When David Baszucki and Erik Cassel created the beta version of Roblox in 2004, it was called ‘DynaBlocks’. In 2005, the company changed its name to Roblox, and in 2006 it was officially launched.
The most exciting feature of Roblox is that users can make their own games for others to play and can, likewise, play the games made by their fellow users. The Roblox Studio is the corporation’s proprietary engine through which users develop games. An object-oriented programming system is used to code these games, which wields a dialect of the programming language called ‘Lua’ to shape the game’s environment.
The Role Of Pandemic In Making Roblox Particularly Famous
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Overall, Roblox offers a very engaging experience, especially for young minds full of new ideas and innovations. The pandemic has been a trying time for all humans as it has deprived us of our basic nature – being a social animals. In such times online gaming platforms are a blessing in disguise as they save the existential dread of being stuck in the house for days. Over 75 percent of kids in America are on Roblox since 2020, and their usage of the platform has also increased exponentially.
It is utterly presumptuous to imagine that tweens are too young to get into troubles of anxiety and depression. In fact, they are all the more prone to it because they are in a transition phase in their lives. There are certain ways of regulating emotions for tweens that might be healthier than online gaming sessions. However, in the midst of frequent lockdowns and restrictions, going out for a breath of fresh air is not the safest option. The engaging experience on Roblox can seem like a relief to tweens in such stressful times.
A Chance To Explore
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Roblox is a unique gaming platform that is somewhat similar to the online gaming store and platform Steam. In a way, Roblox prepares kids to function like professional gamers on Steam later in their lives.
What makes Roblox a superhit amongst tweens and adults is that it is more of a personal experience since the developers and not corporations make its games. This gives the user the option not only to try out new games but give expression to their ideas and imaginations by developing games themselves. Tweens might also feel ambitious about making up to a million dollars from Roblox like some of the developers currently do, as stated by Polygon.
Getting Good At E-Sports At A Young Age
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For tweens looking to become professional gamers and game developers in the future, Roblox can be their stepping stone. But it does not have to be just training for kids, as users can become celebrities by being popular through their creations on Roblox and gathering millions of followers either on the Roblox leaderboard or on their YouTube channels where they can stream their gaming sessions online.
However, since Roblox is a platform for games with adult content, parents might want to keep an eye on whether kids have explicit access to the platform. For example, games like Jailbreak are not quite kid-friendly since they use mature objects to operate. Roblox can be a competitive endeavor, but it should be a safe space, especially for tweens.
Surpassing The Popularity Of Minecraft
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Minecraft is one other thing that tweens have been obsessed with, making the competition with Roblox all the more exciting. Countless songs and animation videos have been made about the sporting competition between the two platforms.
It is indeed a hot topic, and the first thing that sets Roblox apart from Minecraft is the fact that Minecraft is a gaming environment that can be manipulated using Minecraft blocks. In contrast, Roblox offers access to several gaming environments. Thus, it should not come as a surprise if the rising popularity of Roblox surpasses that of Minecraft.
A Rewarding Social Experience
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A fact that cannot be exaggerated is that Roblox is one of the platforms that can help kids to get more accustomed to living in a virtual world in times of emergency. It can be an excellent way to stay connected to peers and contemporary gamers all over the globe. Plus, Roblox also allows users and teammates to celebrate special occasions together online, like birthdays.
Opening a Roblox account is entirely free, which has added to its appeal. Roblox offers an enriching experience by organizing events and tournaments which might be real life or virtual. In the given situation, such events are only online and virtual. BloxCon is particularly famous and meant for ordinary players on the platform. Another attraction is the ‘Bloxy Awards’, which was held online last year and was attended by over 600,000 folks.
Although the screen time of tweens needs to be regulated, becoming obsessed with Roblox is not the worst thing altogether. It has games like ‘Adopt Me!’ Which is based on the idea of kids taking care of animals. Such gaming environments can help inculcate values of empathy in kids and help build a better world.
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Source: Wired, Romper, CNN Business, Business Insider
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