Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft • Hacker News Board

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#91

Post by wyclif » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:33 AM UTC

My 8 year-old boy is a big Minecrafter. He went through a phase where he switched to Roblox. I checked it out and he asked me what I thought, I said "this is hot garbage—not nearly as good of a game as Minecraft is", but I let him keep playing it for a few weeks. Finally he switched back to Minecraft and got disgusted with the game quality of Roblox and dumped it.

I was relieved because if he hadn't, I was getting ready to ban it. I had set up the account with parental controls to turn off chat because I knew adults played the game, but I ultimately decided it was inappropriate for kids after digging a little deeper and seeing what a toxic waste dump it is.

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#92

Post by ptah » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:39 AM UTC

integrii wrote: post #29

Both of my kids played a lot of Roblox until we banned it. They easily became obsessed and were violent when removed, even with a tightly controlled schedule. They would try to connect to offer WiFi networks to get access and would steal our phones to get access. We ended up having to detox them like it was a drug. Beyond that we found that the openly mod-able nature of the game allowed some remarkably disgusting 3D…

you could be cutting your kids off from their friends by doing this. it is unnecessarily cruel

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#93

Post by tapland » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:42 AM UTC

antpls wrote: post #63

integrii wrote: post #29

Both of my kids played a lot of Roblox until we banned it. They easily became obsessed and were violent when removed, even with a tightly controlled schedule. They would try to connect to offer WiFi networks to get access and would steal our phones to get access. We ended up having to detox them like it was a drug. Beyond that we found that the openly mod-able nature of the game allowed some remarkably disgusting 3D…

What if multiplayer video games actually teach your kids to not blindly trust people ? At first they will be scammed a few time, but they will learn, and with minimal consequences. Isn't it better for your kids to experience the "worst" behaviors in a virtual simulation under your control rather than in real life when they will be adult and possibly alone ? I believe it's fine to have your kids safely experience "une…

It's also important to have clear distinctions between things that are questionable but not harmful, and that the kids feel that they can sound the alarm when things are really wrong.

There are a lot of pictures and words that are inappropriate and shouldn't be in kids games. But it's really important to convey that there is a difference between that, and even pictures of feet, to pictures of you nude or pictures with your face in them.

I met people from chatrooms some 16 years ago when I was 14, with friends, at a public space and my friends parents knew the place well and knew when and where we were going. Was a fun double date. A lot of people I know would not tell any adult and lie about where they are going to avoid shame and anger.

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#94

Post by tialaramex » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:42 AM UTC

jdnenej wrote: post #88

techntoke wrote: post #8

Unfortunately neither Minecraft: Bedrock Edition or Roblox really works in Linux.

Isn't bedrock version just the one with no mods and in app purchases?

Microsoft would very much like Bedrock to "be" Minecraft.

As you've observed it's revenue-generating in a way the Java Minecraft is not, and it provides a controlled experience.

Microsoft has been talking to influential people about how to land some sort of modding-lite to Bedrock. I suspect that won't go well, but in principle it could work. They've been showing where they're going to people like Direwolf20 (popular Youtuber and small modder)

Actual (Java) Minecraft modding involves two layers of effort. Firstly, since Minecraft is Java, a layer is using Java's own introspection to reach inside Minecraft's core systems and genericise them. For example Minecraft doesn't really grasp "fluids" as a general group, it has a bunch of special cases for water, lava... but a mod might want to add others (Molten steel, Goat milk, Diesel, Tritium... all real examples of fluids in common mods) and then the second layer needs to add generic capabilities - if all you really have is lava and water but with different textures that's lame, but if new fluids have density and temperature and so on they can interact even without custom code for specific behaviour. Knowing Goat's milk is the same temperature as water my Seebeck Effect generator won't work if you put goat's milk on one side and water on the other. "Liquid Helium" however at 3K rather than 300K would work well, and "Molten steel" at 1800K would help on the other side, even without my Seebeck Effect Generator mod knowing what these liquids actually "are" in any sense.

I do not see an appetite at Microsoft for this level of detail in Bedrock Mods. I'm expecting some basic customisability, but nothing comparable to, say, AE2 or Thaumcraft (sprawling mods that touch every part of Minecraft).

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#95

Post by meheleventyone » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:43 AM UTC

ekc wrote: post #64

integrii wrote: post #29

Both of my kids played a lot of Roblox until we banned it. They easily became obsessed and were violent when removed, even with a tightly controlled schedule. They would try to connect to offer WiFi networks to get access and would steal our phones to get access. We ended up having to detox them like it was a drug. Beyond that we found that the openly mod-able nature of the game allowed some remarkably disgusting 3D…

>They easily became obsessed and were violent when removed, even with a tightly controlled schedule. They would try to connect to offer WiFi networks to get access and would steal our phones to get access. Is that not a sign of bad parenting?

Being a good parent isn’t reflected in your children never doing a thing wrong but in how you deal with it when they do.

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#96

Post by saiya-jin » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:45 AM UTC

weq wrote: post #60

kimberlythomp99 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Video games can have a very similar reaction on the brain as drugs in the release of dopamine. This is my biggest fear raising my kids in this technology driven age.

This isnt just games. Lets be frank. We can become addicted to anything given the right physiological triggers. Capitalism has optimised itself to the point where you are nothing more then meta data. Its at the point where a team of accredited people can sit infront of the meta data, and your product, and they can design ways to trigger dopamine responses. Putting "any" kind of "modern product" in your childs hand wi…

Well take an inspiration from ultra-rich - don't cheap out on raising your kids and entertain them with potentially addictive games on phones/tablets/computers. They don't expose their kids to any of this till age 7-8 IIRC.

I see it so many times around us - parents are tired, so here ya go kiddo, play with a phone so daddy/mommy can rest. Kids get addicted quickly, then when you take their game away they go mental, try emotional extortion, break stuff, whatever just to get it back.

I know I must have had a mild addiction to PC gaming when being teenager, so many hours, days, weeks and months of wasted life. I won't allow the same thing for my kids, if I can help it. Replace it with physical activities, adventures, travelling, education. Harder, but much more rewarding for everybody involved

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#97

Post by ptah » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:46 AM UTC

xrd wrote: post #51

I'm reading all the threads here and wonder: is there a similar type of game that is safe for kids to use? I'd love to have the collaborating with other kids to build things, but I'm deeply concerned about the predatory aspects other parents are describing here. Is there an open source version of Roblox or Minecraft that you can run on your own server and only invite known people (neighbors, friends, etc.) to play on…

why not teach your kids how to avoid predators instead?

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#98

Post by okusername » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:48 AM UTC

antpls wrote: post #63

integrii wrote: post #29

Both of my kids played a lot of Roblox until we banned it. They easily became obsessed and were violent when removed, even with a tightly controlled schedule. They would try to connect to offer WiFi networks to get access and would steal our phones to get access. We ended up having to detox them like it was a drug. Beyond that we found that the openly mod-able nature of the game allowed some remarkably disgusting 3D…

What if multiplayer video games actually teach your kids to not blindly trust people ? At first they will be scammed a few time, but they will learn, and with minimal consequences. Isn't it better for your kids to experience the "worst" behaviors in a virtual simulation under your control rather than in real life when they will be adult and possibly alone ? I believe it's fine to have your kids safely experience "une…

Their brain is not developed yet, especially critical thinking and social capabilities. It's not just a question of explaining / learning, they often don't have the mental capabilities to understand whats going on and can be taken advantage of.

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#99

Post by koonsolo » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:55 AM UTC

antpls wrote: post #63

integrii wrote: post #29

Both of my kids played a lot of Roblox until we banned it. They easily became obsessed and were violent when removed, even with a tightly controlled schedule. They would try to connect to offer WiFi networks to get access and would steal our phones to get access. We ended up having to detox them like it was a drug. Beyond that we found that the openly mod-able nature of the game allowed some remarkably disgusting 3D…

What if multiplayer video games actually teach your kids to not blindly trust people ? At first they will be scammed a few time, but they will learn, and with minimal consequences. Isn't it better for your kids to experience the "worst" behaviors in a virtual simulation under your control rather than in real life when they will be adult and possibly alone ? I believe it's fine to have your kids safely experience "une…

From my own experience of my product that is used by teenagers, they are well aware of the risks. In chat, they will not give their email, name, place or even reveal what timezone they are at. Most boys will say they are boys, but girls will not even mention that (it's a gaming related product). It seems they are well educated on this topic, and are very cautious.

Re: Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

#100

Post by maccard » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 8:56 AM UTC

saiya-jin wrote: post #96

weq wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isnt just games. Lets be frank. We can become addicted to anything given the right physiological triggers. Capitalism has optimised itself to the point where you are nothing more then meta data. Its at the point where a team of accredited people can sit infront of the meta data, and your product, and they can design ways to trigger dopamine responses. Putting "any" kind of "modern product" in your childs hand wi…

Well take an inspiration from ultra-rich - don't cheap out on raising your kids and entertain them with potentially addictive games on phones/tablets/computers. They don't expose their kids to any of this till age 7-8 IIRC. I see it so many times around us - parents are tired, so here ya go kiddo, play with a phone so daddy/mommy can rest. Kids get addicted quickly, then when you take their game away they go mental,…

At some point (particularly with teenagers) you have to accept they're making a decision. 16 year old me certainly wouldn't have been impressed with a parent pulling the plug on me playing Counter Strike so I could go do something "wholesome" on my own outside. Video games can be a heslthy release/form of entertainment - is it any worse to spend 10 hours a week playing Roblox than watching whatever garbage I was plonked in front of when I was 8 or 9?