Roblox review

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Roblox – some quick tips

• Keep in mind that Roblox is not a single game, but a hub of many games. There are both gentle variants and games with shooting and horror
• Use parental settings to remove games with unsuitable content for younger children
• Limit who your kids can chat with on privacy settings
• Use two-factor authentication so that the kids won’t lose accounts if they forget passwords
• Talk to children about in-game purchases. A lot of Roblox games nag kids to buy things

Released in 2006, Roblox can be compared to Netflix or YouTube – but for games! Here kids and young people can log in and access thousands of “free” games created by other users and professional game developers.

In addition, it is possible to make own games from scratch (and theoretically make money from it).

If you want to create your own game, you can also learn more about design and what it takes to develop a well-functioning game. Other users may also give their evaluation when you have finished and published your work.

Roblox is very popular in Norway. Among the age group 9 to 10 years, over half the children play this game (Children and Media: 2020).  Worldwide,  47 million people log on to the platform every day.

It is perhaps not surprising that many are drawn to the concept. With more than two million people worldwide creating games for the Roblox universe, there is always something new to be found here. Always a new game to discover.

And since both private individuals and not just professionals create their own games, there is a lot of creativity and original ideas in circulation that may not be allowed to do with larger gaming companies that have tighter priorities.

This has also become a society where users build on each other’s ideas and creativity so that something new is constantly created and inspired by others.

As a result, in Roblox, there is always something to be found for everyone. There are many games in many genres: Drive a car, play football, work in a restaurant, deliver pizzas, escape from prison, adopt a pet, escape from zombies, play shooting games or play hide-and-seek. Many of the games released here are inspired by more famous titles on the market, and sometimes cross the border of plagiarism by borrowing real images, logos, and music from other games and movies. Beyond that, there is definitely a lot of creativity in circulation.

What others have developed can of course be characterized by design flaws and other challenges. However, the title library also ranks «the most recommended» and «popular» games. So, you can screen out some of the games that do not quite match the expectation.

In addition to being a game, Roblox is also a social meeting place.

You can play with friends and have your own contact lists in the same ways as in other online games/social media. It is possible to talk to each other on this platform via chat, for example, and one can join in the other’s games.

Roblox also has groups that one can create or join. These can be so small that they only have two or three people, or so large that there are millions of users. Here, both username and language can have a form that is highly inappropriate depending on which group you are communicating in. And potentially, children can come into contact with strangers in this way.

It is also an advantage that the games are available for different types of gaming devices (mobile, console and PC) and it is possible to play across the consoles. Someone who has an iPad can play with someone who has a PC, for example – so-called «cross-play». Therefore, you do not need an expensive and advanced gaming machine to get started with Roblox.

The graphics are partly similar to Minecraft and are quite simple, and perhaps for that reason very welcoming to children. But that does not mean that there are only «childish» games here. The universe offers milder titles where you have to adopt pets or play hide and seek, but also horror and shooting games.

Suitability

Roblox has received age recommendations from 12+ years in the App Store (iOS) and 7 years from PEGI in Google Play (Android) and for Xbox One.

In the App Store (Apple), the recommended age is justified by the fact that the game may contain rare, mild / realistic violence and rarely mild / cartoon or fantasy violence.

In its assessment, PEGI justifies that Roblox may contain themes of fear and mild violence.

We would like to point out that Roblox is not a single game, but rather a platform with access to many games, ranges from mild alternatives to slightly «tougher» varieties. But still, Roblox has limitations on the type of games that can be published on their platform:

For example, developers are not allowed to create games that are based on nudity, sexual content, very violent content, bullying, harassment, swearing, etc. If you discover this type of content, you can report that to Roblox directly. 

Furthermore, there are limitations to how realistic the games might look. Due to the game engine, it’s characterized by cartoon graphics.

However, Roblox is in full development and undoubtedly the graphics and game mechanics will improve with time and potentially be more realistic.

Enter the child’s real age at registration

We recommend you to state your child’s real age (at least their approximate date of birth) in registering an account on Roblox. Children under the age of thirteen are given stricter settings for who can contact them, and the developer is more concerned about the processing of children’s personal data. Already created an account? The age can be adjusted afterward.

It is also possible for parents to enter their own email addresses so that their children do not have to enter this type of information. You can also turn on two-step verification. This means that for each new login, you must enter a unique code that will only be sent to your e-mail address.

One can also choose to use code generator app. If so, even if some unauthorized persons gain access to the child’s username and password, they will not be able to easily steal the account. They must have the unique code sent to your email address/app.

In addition, your email address can be used to retrieve lost/forgotten passwords.

Limiting game selection and chat

Inside settings, there are useful features/parental controls:

If you tick «Allowed Experiences» inside «Parental Controls,»

children will only have access to games within a given target group. Here you can choose: all ages, 9+ years and 13+ years. The games on the platform are also marked with the same type of age rating system. Note that this scheme is not flawless, we have found  shooter games that are marked for all ages.

These settings can also be locked with a PIN so that your children can’t change them afterward.

You can also change the privacy settings yourself. Note that a user account for someone under the age of thirteen has stricter (and thus more secure) room for maneuver than a user account over thirteen.

Adjust who can send instant messages (everyone/friends/none), who can chat (everyone/friends/none) – or turn off chat altogether.

Limit who can join your game when you visit Roblox (everyone/friends/users you follow) and who can see the items you have.

Reports and blocks

Roblox has a chat filter that weeds out some profanity and hateful expressions. The filter is not perfect, but it includes some Norwegian words also. This filter is the strictest (weeding out the most words) for users under the age of thirteen.

Then it is possible to report and block users, contents, and messages inside Roblox. Make the children aware of these possibilities. Inside a user’s profile, it’s possible to report the user, block it, or remove them from their friends’ list. One should also talk to the children about the abuse of these opportunities, for example, if someone in the class or group of friends is excluded/removed from the friends’ lists with the intention of banning/excluding.

Games also have a «report» button on the very front of the game.

In general, parents should be aware that there may be challenges in chatting/contacting with strangers and the like.

Beware of in-game-purchase

The only way Roblox Corporation can survive is if they can make money. In 2019, developers of the online community earned over 100 million dollars with a solid increase from the previous year. And Roblox Corporation gets a good share of the deal.

Many games in the Roblox universe are built up in a way so that you get to «taste a little» of the game. Then it is possible to buy benefits, either cosmetic (appearance) or simply something that gives an edge in the game so that it becomes easier to win.

Children may be tempted to spend real money to gain an advantage or to look cool in games, and they may be tempted when they see that their friends have stylish things in the games that they themselves do not have. Or that you have suddenly bought into a faster car or a better weapon that makes it easier to win against others.

As many as 58 percent of 9 – 18-year-olds have bought something in-game content with real money, either by themselves or their parents (Children and Media: 2020).

One should have a clear understanding with the children in advance about how much they should be allowed to spend on games a week, month, etc. Is it going to go out of pocket money, what about other things the kids want? Here one should determine the sum and purpose of use in advance.

On the Settings page, you can now set a monthly purchase limit on your child’s account. This applies to children under the age of 13. The amount must be stated in US dollars, but with some currency calculation, one can at least put a barrier.

If you have entered the parent’s email address, you can also be notified every time a child makes a purchase on the platform. These settings can be found on your child’s account page by selecting: settings > parental controls.

It is also possible to buy gift cards that the children can redeem in the game.

Choose a secure password on the app store

Settings to prevent purchases without parental permission on mobile/PC are also wise. So, parents will have a password protection and children will not be able to buy without permission. This can be done on a individual game console/mobile phone/tablet.

One should also talk to the children about receiving items in the game from strangers. Conversely, it is possible to exchange/sell items with others in Roblox. Here, the second-hand trading mentality  applies: Don’t give away anything in the game until you’ve accepted payment, and don’t go to other sites outside Roblox hoping to get free Robux (the game’s own currency for buying and selling). This could be a scam!

This is what Roblox itself says are questionable actions in the game:

• To use the official channels of the game to pay for accounts, real money or groups
• To lend your account or items to others
• Make agreements where one has to give up something first, and then trust the other to follow up
• Giving your account or an item to an intermediary to sell or barter for you

Read more about exchange and trading in  Roblox here.

Also, read the parental guide from the developers.

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