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

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

#171

Post by ehsankia » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 1:56 PM UTC

abrookewood wrote: post #41

ehsankia wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here. I generally am fairly well versed in games and tech, even the more obscure stuff, but I'm surprised about how little I've seen about this game over the years. I've heard the name here and there but never really looked into it. So far, it looks close to VR chat? I'd also like if someone could explain: 1. What the appeal is (I'm guessing mostly community?) 2. How do they monetize (purchasable cosmetic conten…

So it's a browser based gaming 'portal', that includes chat, profiles, cosmetic items etc and which allows users to create their own basic games. The appeal is that the games are fairly simple, often social and don't require a ton of investment (i.e. casual). They make money on in game currency which can upgrade both cosmetic and non-cosmetic items in both a users profile and in-games. Demographic is probably pre-tee…

Ah, did not realize it was a browser game. I can see how that really increases the demographics, thanks!

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

#172

Post by skyfallkavu » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 1:58 PM UTC

ulkesh wrote: post #152

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…

And it's even worse because Roblox support is pure crap. Not only does it take a minimum of 3 days to reach anyone, they also have nothing in place to verify an account holder in case the account was compromised. They require the original email address and cannot verify in any other way. We had to completely ban Roblox as well, even using OpenDNS to block it, but that just led to the use of other networks. We're now…

I wouldn't like to tell someone else how to parent, especially since as mentioned earlier all children are different. But, a small story.

I had a friend back in university who's parents did the same. Completely locked down with no internet access unless it was explicitly with her parents observation well into her late-teens. She found freedom when she went away to university, and with that freedom she didn't know how to regulate it. She'd be up all hours of the night scrolling everything shes missed in years past. Games, pop culture references, ancient memes, hours and hours of YouTube playlists, etc. It affected her schooling to the point where she almost withdrew because she'd be so wrapped up in the internet, she wouldn't know how to time-manage for completing assignments or even getting to class. Needless to say her inability to impulse control caused quite a few GPA scares and a lot of money spent on off-term sessions. I remember we agreed as an apartment to put a parental control pin on the communal Xbox because she'd sit for hours and skip class to play.

I can't quite say all this is related to her parents essentially banning her from technology, but it certainly changed my view on how I'd introduce my child to the internet. We're coming to view internet addition similar to drug or alcohol abuse; and I think any sort of responsible moderation that can be learned as a child continues as skills into adulthood.

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

#173

Post by wil421 » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 1:58 PM UTC

sky_rw wrote: post #107

koonsolo wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My own son had this period where he was obsessed with playing on the XBox. When I tried to limit his time, he became agressive. So I said "Wow, if XBox has this influence on you, maybe you should stop completely. What do you think?". His smart reaction was to show that he could play a limited time, and be good afterwards. Now I don't have any problems with him. The thing with kids is that you will not be there all th…

I was only allowed 2 hours of Sega Genesis play, which was just enough to get to the final boss in Sonic and die. Never beat it. In hindsight this prepared me for the 2 constants in the real world: Never having enough time, and constant disappointment.

Rookie mistake. You have to leave the Sega on come back the next day when you have your allotted time. God forbid someone vacuums and uses your plug.

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

#174

Post by ehsankia » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 2:03 PM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #135

ehsankia wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here. I generally am fairly well versed in games and tech, even the more obscure stuff, but I'm surprised about how little I've seen about this game over the years. I've heard the name here and there but never really looked into it. So far, it looks close to VR chat? I'd also like if someone could explain: 1. What the appeal is (I'm guessing mostly community?) 2. How do they monetize (purchasable cosmetic conten…

Roblox is an umbrella term that covers the programming stuff and the game portal stuff. It's a game engine that allows people to create games using a visual language builder. Here's the Roblox quick start: https://developer.roblox.com/en-us/quick-start It's also a multi-platform portal to games developed by users and small companies. A user will load roblox, and then select a game to play, and then the roblox backend…

I went to try it out but realized you need to install something to play, but that video did an amazing job. It seems like some of these minigames combine every sort of addictive game mechanic that exists, with saturated bright shiny colors. Perfect combination for getting kids to spend hours and hours playing.

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

#175

Post by justanothernoob » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 2:07 PM UTC

hokumguru wrote: post #151

So many negative comments here but nearly a decade ago now I was hugely interested in Roblox - on their platform I found an amazing creative outlet and made some lifelong friends. Their game engine is powerful while also being simple for a 12 year old to pick up and learn - I taught myself the fundamentals of programming on their platform and I doubt I would have gone down the same career path without it.

Frankly, Roblox is not the same as it was 12 or 10 years ago, when I played. A few weeks ago I reinstalled it and perused the catalog of games. Most or all of the top games have microtransactions in them, you can really feel the influence of money in the games development. My money on when it started going downhill was when Disney bought out Roblox, whenever that was.

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

#176

Post by Scarblac » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 2:15 PM UTC

watwut wrote: post #109

koonsolo wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My own son had this period where he was obsessed with playing on the XBox. When I tried to limit his time, he became agressive. So I said "Wow, if XBox has this influence on you, maybe you should stop completely. What do you think?". His smart reaction was to show that he could play a limited time, and be good afterwards. Now I don't have any problems with him. The thing with kids is that you will not be there all th…

Not every kids is like your son. Some have more addictive tendencies and wont self regulate that easily and wont stick to agreements - even as they had an intention to follow up in advance.

Of course (I say as someone with a lot of built in addictive tendencies).

But those kids need to be taught how to self-control those impulses more, not less than those who can already do it easily.

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

#177

Post by frgotmylogin » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 2:22 PM UTC

Rotdhizon wrote: post #50

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…

As someone in their early 20s who dabbles on Roblox with some frequency, this completely contradicts my own experience. Granted I only play games that show up in the popular games section on the homepage. I don't go out of my way to find the weird stuff. I suppose it is similar to the Elsagate stuff kids were getting into on Youtube, kids have a remarkable talent to go down rabbit holes you didn't know existed and fi…

You are spot on about the weird stuff being down rabbit holes of suggestions. There is also a lot of weird/disturbing stuff you can search up in their IDE/level editor app thing. The rules I put in place for my kid were:

-grown ups do any content searching in the level editor

-ask before you try new games

-no games that haven't been voted on much

-chat filter stays on

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

#178

Post by roordan » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 2:23 PM UTC

orliesaurus wrote: post #53

Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft are the new social networks right? Well when I was 15 and we used to play Counter Strike and Quake 3 the "social network" was hanging out on servers with maps just chatting and walking around the map aimlessly or just hanging out on IRC. So I can totally relate to how kids nowadays are going back to this sorta hangout. Text only can be boring (kinda like IRC for many people who couldn't to…

The games themselves but particularly discord as well. Discord is the modern gaming social network. Talk and hangout with friends across multiple games.

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

#179

Post by ianhawes » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 2:27 PM UTC

tyleo wrote: post #129

antpls wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

This is a great thought. When I was around 12 years old I played RuneScape. After grinding away for weeks I bought a legendary item which I lost shortly after in a scam. This was a big wake up call for me. Having previously seen how obvious some scammers were I didn’t think it could ever happen to me: I thought you had to be a fool to be scammed. The core lesson was that it could happen to everyone and by thinking th…

I came here to say exactly this. I played RuneScape as a kid and was scammed. It molded me into the skeptic I am today.

Plus, downloading a keylogger masquerading as a RuneScape hack taught me the importance of not running random executables.

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

#180

Post by Faark » Tue, Aug 06, 2019, 2:28 PM UTC

Lendal wrote: post #113

Rotdhizon wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone in their early 20s who dabbles on Roblox with some frequency, this completely contradicts my own experience. Granted I only play games that show up in the popular games section on the homepage. I don't go out of my way to find the weird stuff. I suppose it is similar to the Elsagate stuff kids were getting into on Youtube, kids have a remarkable talent to go down rabbit holes you didn't know existed and fi…

Reminds me of GTA. I stayed far away from it because it had an awful reputation in the media. Finally when GTA5 came out I tried it for the first time and it was nothing like the stories. I was expecting terrible awful very bad things. But it wasn't anything like that when I tried it. So I think the bad stories are more a reflection of the players playing it than the game. For whatever reason certain types of people…

"Protect the kids" reporting about an offline game hardly compares to the dangers from online communities. I don't behave like a 12 year old girl, thus I'll never be treated like one. Even if I wanted to experience it, I'd probably be unable to even imitate one. So its a bit more than just people finding it awesome that you can get your money back by killing the hooker.