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Roblox hits 100M monthly active users, bigger than Minecraft

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

#161

Post by schnevets »

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…

Not only could this be considered a return to the essence of social network, but it may be healthier than a single megabehemoth like Facebook controlling the virtual "third place". Even when games like CS or WoW dominated the gaming world, player counts would go through ebbs and flows, and a new triple-A title could splinter the community.

I guess it's a little more like the "Water Cooler TV Show" of the past. Let's have a whole bunch of studios (including some dark horses) compete for our viewership instead of one product attempt global domination.

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

#163

Post by nvarsj »

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…

This sounds almost identical to the argument my parents used in the 90s to ban DnD. Are you sure you’re not getting swept up in parental paranoia?

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

#164

Post by jyxent »

gameswithgo wrote: post #22
techntoke wrote: post #8

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

it is a tautology that minecraft for windows doesnt work in linux. actual minecraft had always worked in linux.

Bedrock linux is hardly just Minecraft for Windows. It is Minecraft for Android, iOS, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It looks like it will be coming to the Playstation 4 soon too.

I use MCPELauncher to run the Android version under Linux, which lets me play with my son on his Switch.

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

#165

Post by tsss »

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…

I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of abuse on these games comes from other children and not some ominous adult sexual predators.

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

#166

Post by Ajedi32 »

SpaceLawnmower wrote: post #25

I used to play Roblox when I was a teenager. The game has a scripting engine that players can use to program their own levels/events in Lua. The code editing/debugging was pretty tough to use when I was playing it, but it's one of the reasons I got into programming. I learned about programming, viruses, and hacking through Roblox. People write all kinds of amazing scripts on Roblox that you can download and put into…

Ah yes, the viruses; I remember those.

People would write scripts that would copy themselves into every object in the game, sometimes renaming those objects to a constant string just to be annoying. People who would edit their games in "build mode" (I can't actually remember what it was called) rather than directly in Roblox Studio would import an infected model from the store, get their place infected, and then any models they shared on the store would _also_ be infected.

I wrote an "anti-virus" script that would search an entire place for known viruses, delete them, and reset the names of any renamed objects back to their default. Eventually Roblox themselves started clearing the source code of any virus scripts they knew about, which I discovered when several of my "virus definitions" files got blanked out.

Those were the days. I wonder if viruses on Roblox are still a thing, or if Roblox managed to put a stop to them for good. (Less people editing their places in build mode would probably make viruses way less effective.)

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

#167

Post by jordache »

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…

minecraft can be played in offline, single player mode just fine

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

#168

Post by sandos »

ericlewis wrote: post #141
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…

Similar experience with our 2yo & YouTube. It is banned in our house for now, because 2yo doesn't exactly understand moderation, but we are willing to open it back up as they get older and understand a bit more.

Good for you. Our 5 and 7 year olds get "banned" from youtube every now and then when we detect the slightest bit of "mania", which they do get.

In Sweden no screen time is recommended until the age of two, and I would easily say that until 3 or 4 years of age, screen time is really not necessary and possible harmful.

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

#169

Post by sandos »

Nextgrid wrote: post #148
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…

I miss the old first-person shooters and the concept of self-contained servers (instead of a global user profile system). Games last for a couple hours, and everyone starts at zero and gets weapons & perks as the game continues (so newbies aren't stuck with bad guns while level 100+ players dominate the server). In 30 minutes of playtime or so you'll have earned enough points (by killing enemies, etc) to be able to a…

That sounds a lot like a Battle Royale... which is also very popular now. If you ignore the "rankings" that is, and play each game in isolation which I tend to do.

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

#170

Post by pnutjam »

ericlewis wrote: post #141
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…

Similar experience with our 2yo & YouTube. It is banned in our house for now, because 2yo doesn't exactly understand moderation, but we are willing to open it back up as they get older and understand a bit more.

Check out the Amazon FreePlay system. I got a "kids edition" kindle for my 2 year old, it came with a year of freeplay and I've kept it going since it's such a good value. Basically, they get access to all the kids apps, books, and videos in the kindle store. You can limit the age appropriate level.

My biggest complaint is how tedious it is to remove apps, since the kids eventually fill up the kindle.

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