Roblox is paying kids basically nothing to create the very thing that makes them worth $45 billion

A damning new report from People Make Games looks at one of the most popular video games in the world, Roblox. "Strap in, we’re going for a ride," KnowTechie writes.

[peppeaccardo]

Same as the social network hey !!! ... we post shit they get bigger ,,,

[SullysCigar]

Yup, totally. Maybe we should stop?

[RedDevils]

In other word, it's a great company to invest in stock. They just getting bigger and bigger each year. Although they are still volatile because of post-pandemic challenges, but keep an eyes on it if anyone want to invest.

[KyRo]

As a father to a child to who loves the game, I don't see the harm myself. It's gives you a game engine to make what they please of they choose to do so. She's to young to do it but she gave input and created a world for her and it's not as easy as you'd think. Very few kids are doing much out of basic design. Not sure how creating/being a creative is seen as bad. Imagine someone wrote this about Lego lol

[calderra]

You didn't watch the video, so let me summarize for you.

Roblox takes a staggering percent of the money from any sale on its store (claimed is 75%, real is higher, other game markets are more like 10-30%). A staggering proportion of Roblox' userbase is children. So they're pretty directly exploiting child labor. Meanwhile the profits the Roblox company are posting are many times larger than platforms like Steam. Meaning Silicon Valley is investing billions in child labor. This is exaggerated but. Do you really want a fat cat CEO buying a new yacht with your daughter's efforts, while your daughter gets basically $5, when she could be on a different platform and earn enough for both of you to retire? Child labor is messed up anyway but at least get a fair cut.

TLDR. LEGO don't have children developing their kits. If they do sell a kit developed by kids, in partnership with schools or whatever, they give generously.

[KyRo]

Okay that is a staggeringly high percentage I won't lie. I didn't watch the video. I saw the title when I was on break at work and though how?! Thank you for the break down.

That being said this is happening to kids in music and film too. Most kids just love creating anything. Minecraft, music, tiktok videos, cakes,Lego, Mario maker etc. Companies Such as Nintendo, Lego, Microsoft may not be profiting from kids creations specifically but at the top, there's always going to be that person who can buy that dream house/car/boat because of kids love to create things by simply selling the game/product. Kids create because they enjoy it, money is not their focus. A child's happiness is way more valuable than money.

[badz149]

my kids love Roblox...literally the only thing they play aside from occasionally, Minecraft, but I only have 1 advice or should I say rule for them. Play it to have fun but don't let it take over your life and most importantly, finances. So if they play and enjoy on there, I have no problem with it but they already know not to ask me to buy them Robux, same shit as vbucks in Fortnite - no point of paying real money for a F2P game.

1 of them actually enjoy the creator mode and I encourage him to try things on there but 1 time, he tried to publish a level he worked so hard on for weeks, the moment it got published, it got hijacked by another stupid game where you only walk and push a button from some asshole just so he can generate user count. he was so sad but I think there is a lesson to be learned there. any online market place is a dangerous place, so if you're not planning on making a career out of it, better stay away and he never publishes anything since. he is now just messing around with the creator tools and play games there for fun.

but Roblox is getting more predatory now with their Robux marketing after going public. I kinda hate it now

[KillBill]

"...they have tricked the kids into building the company that is worth SEVEN Ubisofts, while paying most of them literally nothing." the game insinuates a large number of kids making game which is farthest from the truth. Only a very small fractions of kids will create content. The vast majority of games and content is created by adults while marketed to kids.