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The Roblox Microverse

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Re: The Roblox Microverse

#161

Post by alisonkisk »

chett wrote: post #91
skrebbel wrote: post #45

We have Roblox (kids age 5 and 8). From the start I made a hard "no Robux" rule, which has worked out well so far. This has had a very nice and totally unintended side effect: the kids self select against games that are only fun if you pay. Eg my youngest likes the clicking simulators. Many of those are awful "pay to win" schemes but some actually have fun game dynamics (not unlike the Paperclip Simulator html game t…

I had some fun with my son (age 7) writing python to beat one of the "clicking" games. I wrote the code but he thought my clicking app was like magic. https://automatetheboringstuff.com/chapter18/

Does that work on Chromebook?

Re: The Roblox Microverse

#162

Post by meddlepal »

vidarh wrote: post #121
an_opabinia wrote: post #10

Roblox games are really clunky to make on PCs, let alone phones. You'll never be able to make one on a phone. It's crazy clunky. A third person character running around with virtual joysticks: so clunky. Roblox has been around longer than smartphones have, it has always been a port, much like Minecraft. Which sure, kids play. Roblox is probably setting back the arrival of the metaverse, not advancing it. Whatever tha…

We have Disney+ and Roblox, and my son has hardly any interest in Disney+. It wasn't because of him we got Disney+. Meanwhile my sons pocket money gets split between V-bucks for Fortnite and Robux, because that is what he wants to spend money on. He could've funded that Disney+ subscription several times over with what he spends on Robux. I think the things he buys are idiotic, but here's the thing: Over several year…

Your last comment nails it. But I think its also a Hn trope at this point to have a huge blindspot for social platforms and media companies... the demographic here tends to not grok their value appeal to the broader public.

Basically if you followed HN purely for investing advice you would probably have missed out on all of the major social media and new media platforms of the last 10-15 years.

Re: The Roblox Microverse

#163

Post by alisonkisk »

juskrey wrote: post #11
quornxypt wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you expand on how the experience is targeted to make children judge each other? Has this been something your kid(s) experienced on the platform? Just curious.

My daughter have asked me several times if I can spend at least something because other children somehow see she is not a paying user and segregate on that basis

That's great. The game costs nothing and it filters out trash people from her experience.

Re: The Roblox Microverse

#164

Post by csmiller »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #76
jonheller wrote: post #75

I used to push back had on my kids wanting to buy hats, pets, etc in Roblox. Seemed like a waste of money and I hate microtransactions. Then I realized that this is literally the only game they play, and it's free. Compare that to me at that age, buying Nintendo games for $50 a pop, why am I hesitant to support these creators with a $2 hat? I still limit purchases just for general personal finance lessons, but otherw…

Makes me think of collectible card games. If I hadn't spent my own pocket money as a kid on MTG, Star Trek CCG and Pokemon, there's no way in hell I would let my kid buy into an obvious scam CCGs are. But I did spend money on them and enjoyed it, so I'm not so sure now.

I spent a fair amount of money on MTG, but it gave me lots of fond memories. I think I would encourage future children of mine to play it, in the unlikely event it hasn’t become online-only by then.

Re: The Roblox Microverse

#165

Post by unfocused »

alisonkisk wrote: post #159
unfocused wrote: post #144

Interesting. I just talked to the experts - my 7 year old and 9 year old. They play Roblox sitting side by side on the couch, right beside me. They spend $0 and I just asked them, are you looking to buy anything, and they said "No" you don't need to, but they do know a kid who has spent $100 and is addicted to it (their words, not mine...could be exagerated). Then again, the 9 year old also has a steam account, and t…

Isn't "playing roblox" like "playing iPhone"? It's not a game, it's a whole platform/ecosystem.

True. They try different games. I tried asking them what they would recommend to other kids, but they said Arsenal, sports games, and Natural Disaster...they were not helpful!

Either way, they only play a few times a week, so maybe 3 hours a week. They usually play other stuff as well.

Re: The Roblox Microverse

#166

Post by nvader »

juskrey wrote: post #84
mmkos wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was unnecessarily vague. What I meant was that it could have been something your daughter made up, just so you'd buy her something.

I understand what you have said here. If lies happen, that likely mean things are much much worse than they look. You don't teach children how to properly intake drugs, you teach them how to properly avoid toxic things in general.

I appreciate this comment, and feel like I learned something about parenting from it.

Re: The Roblox Microverse

#167

Post by tomerico »

The important thing about Roblox is that it's part of a larger trend of platform that enable a competitive creator environment that bubble up the "best" content to the top (like TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit). Roblox does it for games, and perhaps in the best way we've seen so far.

This perspective can also give us a sneak peek into will replace Roblox in the future. If you look at the YouTube --> TikTok transition, the main differences are that TikTok's content is entirely recommended, and that the content itself is more shorter (i.e. faster to trigger the dopamine response). The new gaming platform will likely be similar - a faster, quicker experience that will initially cater to kids but will eventually capture adults as well (and the content will evolve to support that).

Side note: It's absolutely incredible how much the comment section here is filled with parents either complaining or seeking validation for their ways of raising their kids. It shows how the transition to digital consumption is polarizing and challenging to our conventional wisdom.

Re: The Roblox Microverse

#168

Post by crooked-v »

alisonkisk wrote: post #160
wnissen wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of it is relatively benign cosmetic items for your avatar, like Fortnite. There is definitely a stigma associated with having "bacon hair" which is the default. Or the ability to play on a server with just your friends. Other times it is a shortcut to stuff that you could get by grinding. $5 gets you twice the XP (experience points) so you can unlock new weapons, levels, etc. Individual games sometimes take this…

Stigma? For not spending money? For me that's an instant cancel of the account and introduce my kid to a better class of friendsm

This may shock you, but kids do exactly the same kind of thing in regards to clothes, food, and even inanities like brands of pens and pencils.

Re: The Roblox Microverse

#169

Post by jaaron »

HDMI_Cable wrote: post #42

Does anyone know why the game for kids switched from Minecraft to Roblox? I remember both of them being around when I was younger, yet everyone chose Minecraft. Today, it’s the opposite.

I'm not sure "switched" is the right word. Minecraft is still massively popular.

Anecdotally, the elementary school crowd my son plays games with play both with regularity.

Re: The Roblox Microverse

#170

Post by xen2xen1 »

dudleyf wrote: post #101
juskrey wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My daughter have asked me several times if I can spend at least something because other children somehow see she is not a paying user and segregate on that basis

I play Roblox with my son and his friends a lot. Some kids use how much Robux you have as a status thing, but I've been surprised how little griefing and bullying I've seen. I do get called "bacon hair" because my avatar has the default skin (which has hair that looks like strips of bacon).

Noobskin is a phrase used in a similar situation. If you didn't pay for your avatar people notice.
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