Roblox is an online game platform and game creation system that allows users to program games and play games created by other users. Founded by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 2004 and released in 2006, the platform hosts user-created games of multiple genres coded in the programming language Lua. For most of Roblox's history, it was relatively small, both as a platform and a company, due to bot
h co-founder Baszucki's lack of interest in press coverage and it being "lost among the crowd" in a large number of platforms released around the same time. Roblox began to grow rapidly in the second half of the 2010s, and this growth has been accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8]
Roblox is free-to-play, with in-game purchases available through a virtual currency called "Robux". As of August 2020, Roblox has over 164 million monthly active users, with it being played by over half of all children aged under 16 in the United States.[9][10] Roblox has received generally positive reviews from critics. Roblox allows players to create their own games using its proprietary engine, Roblox Studio, which can then be played by other users.[11] Games are coded under an object-oriented programming system utilizing the programming language Lua to manipulate the environment of the game.[12][13] Users are able to create purchasable content through one-time purchases, known as "game passes", as well as microtransactions which can be purchased more than once, known as "developer products" or "products". A percentage of the revenue from purchases is split between the developer and Roblox Corporation.[14][15] The majority of games produced using Roblox Studio are developed by children, and a total of 20 million games a year are produced using it.[16][9]
Items and currency
A default male Roblox avatar
Roblox allows players to buy, sell, and create virtual items which can be used to decorate their virtual character that serves as their avatar on the platform.[9] Clothes can be bought by anyone, but only players with a premium membership can sell them.[17] Only Roblox administrators can sell accessories, body parts, gear, and packages under the official Roblox user account;[18] virtual hats and accessories can also be published by a select few users with past experience working with the Roblox Corporation.[19][20] There are several individuals who design items as a full-time job, with the highest-earning creators making over $100,000 a year off item sales.[21] Items with a limited edition status can only be traded between or sold by users with premium membership status.[22]
Robux is the virtual currency in Roblox that allows players to buy various items. Players can obtain Robux by purchasing it with real currency, from a recurring stipend given to members with premium membership, and from other players by producing and selling virtual content in Roblox.[14][23] Robux acquired through the sale of user-generated content can be exchanged into real-world currency through the website's Developer Exchange system.[24] There are a sizeable amount of scams relating to Robux, largely revolving around automated messages promoting scam websites, scam games designed to appear to give out free Robux, and invalid Robux codes.[25][26]
Events
Roblox occasionally hosts real-life and virtual events. They have in the past hosted events such as BloxCon, which was a convention for ordinary players on the platform.[14] Roblox operates annual Easter egg hunts,[27] and occasionally engages in events to promote films, such as ones held for Wonder Woman 1984 and Aquaman.[28][29] Roblox also hosts an annual event called the “Bloxy Awards”, an awards ceremony which also functions as a fundraiser. The 2020 edition of the Bloxy Awards, held virtually on the platform, drew 600,000 viewers.[30][31]
