Roblox Accused Of Being Unsafe For Children In Viral Video

The massive online game platform and game creation system Roblox has been accused of being unsafe for children in a new viral video. Thanks to players using real money to purchase an in-game currency called Robux, the free-to-download game has experienced a revenue boom. Robux can be used to buy cosmetics and other items for the player’s avatar. Robux have been so successful for the game that the first day it went public for investing, Roblox stock rose by 54% and became worth over $45 billion.

However, this financial success has come at the cost of Roblox‘s developers. This past August, the YouTube channel People Make Games explained in a viral video how this is the case. Part of the allure of Roblox is the fact that anyone can make a game (mainly geared towards children) and monetize their game creation. Developers who have their game hosted on the site can earn Robux, which can then be withdrawn as real money if the amount is 100,000 Robux (around $350 USD). Unfortunately, Roblox‘s cut on hosting a developer’s game creation is a whopping 75.5%. According to People Make Games, this system leads to unrealistic expectations of success and to Roblox exploiting young game developers. People Make Games has claimed that Roblox Corportation, the owner of Roblox, asked it to remove their video. Instead of doing so, however, People Make Games has made another video.

As reported by Eurogamer, People Make Games is back with another viral video now accusing Roblox of being unsafe for children. According to People Make Games, one way that Roblox is unsafe for children is that it inadvertently encourages them to join unregulated social media. Though the platform began as a way for individual developers to create games, its popularity now means that entire development teams are making games to be hosted on the platform. Therefore many child developers are leaving the platform to join development communities elsewhere – more specifically, on social media sites that Roblox Corporation cannot possibly monitor. As a result, underage developers may be working for a company in an environment that deals with unsafe practices.

In September, Roblox introduced an age verification system to help improve security for its young players. Even so, moderation remains a major problem for the platform. Many of the most popular games hosted on the platform are also inappropriate for children. Furthermore, People Make Games argues that the Roblox Collectible Market is similar to gambling based on the store’s greatly fluctuating prices and its stock market-like graph showing price changes.

Though it was originally launched in 2006, Roblox has gained a newer, younger fanbase since its release as a mobile title in 2012. As it hosts games geared towards children and encourages young developers to create games on their platform, steps to make the platform safer will likely be beneficial to all parties.

Sources: People Make Games/YouTube, Eurogamer

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