Roblox Studio Review: Games galore amid safety concerns

By now, you’ve no doubt heard of the blocky, Lego-Esque “game” known as Roblox Studio. But it’s not just one game; it’s hundreds. And they are more or less all user created, as well. There is even a parasocial element such as real-life influencers getting custom Roblox and hosting in-game events like Yoga classes.

Many types of games exist and it is technically free to play, and Roblox is widely regarded as a kid-friendly platform. Of course, that trait has recently been called into question with multiple news sources such as The Washington Post reporting on unfortunate, nefarious actors within the Roblox community.

Let’s review Roblox Studio, list some of the best Roblox games, and see what they’re all about.

Roblox studio history and background

Believe it or not, David Baszucki and Erik Cassel founded the Roblox Corporation all the way back in 2004. They didn’t officially release Roblox until 2006 and the game continued on through the years. It debuted on various platforms starting with Windows then adding iOS, Android, and Xbox One.

Tragically, Cassel passed away in 2013 due to complications from cancer. However, the company received funding through a round of venture capital funding in the amount of $82 million USD in 2016.

The company expanded, receiving more funding in 2020, and eventually got a valuation of billions of US dollars. Going public in late 2020 saw the company’s clout go up even further.

What is Roblox?

Roblox is an online platform where users create and then share their games across the digital world. It’s more like a Steam/YouTube hybrid that’s free to play. Roblox Studio Software creates games ranging from shooters to RPGs and themed games around popular Korean streaming shows.

Roblox developer tools and features

Roblox heavily incentivizes all users to become game developers with lots of tools and the promise of earning real money or in-game currency. Especially aimed at a younger audience, the platform offers tons of resources from Studio Step articles to a developer console.

The game uses Lua, the programming language, to create digital hangout spaces or full-fledged interactive digital experiences. Users can create the game they’ve always wanted to play but perhaps haven’t found yet. There was even a Lil Nas X virtual concert in 2020.

For anyone looking to learn more about game development with lots of documentation and community support, Roblox is a great way to get started.

Concerns about content and exploitation

Every game, developer, and platform has its controversies and Roblox is no different. There are two major concerns regarding the game platform — one that especially concerns parents since many kids are active on Roblox.

Is Roblox kid-friendly?

Roblox, like any gaming platform, has rules in place for decency. No slurs, nudity, harassment, etc. However, many users experience naked avatars who proposition other players in chatrooms or break other rules. Worse yet, one user had their avatar assaulted in-game in 2018.

A voice chat meant to heighten the immersiveness of the game gives would-be bad actors another pathway to harass underage and unassuming players.

Roblox Studio has a laissez-faire approach to overseeing player-to-player interactions, so many of these issues don’t get reported or aren’t addressed. The game platform is an older one and, now, it’s explosively popular and quite siloed in how the company approaches platform management. Retrofitting safety and security features for minors does not seem to be a top priority.

Does Roblox exploit young developers?

As reported by numerous outlets in early 2022 after initial reporting by People Make Games, developers with some as young as age 6 were creating content on the Roblox platform. Not only are there claims of financial exploitation, but of harassment, as well.

The company encourages young creators to sell their work with phrases like “Make Anything. Reach Millions. Earn Serious Cash”. But Roblox takes 30% of any sales of virtual creations. Moreover, older developers take advantage of young developers who don’t understand how to value their work. Then, when the younger party is dismissed erroneously or not appropriately compensated, they have no recourse against the older parties or even with Roblox who considers themselves a third party in the scenario.

In addition, the older parties would harass younger users — sometimes in sexually explicit ways. For a platform that bills itself as kid-friendly, these are huge red flags.

Roblox “Robux” system

Robux is the system of in-game currency in Roblox that lets players buy cosmetics, items, and games. The company even has tutorials on how to price games if you are trying to earn Robux with them. Roblox also has a trading system that lets players trade Robux, Limited Items, and Limited Unique Items.

There are several ways to get Robux in-game, but here are some of the most straightforward options:

• Build games that become popular to generate revenue
• Design custom clothes or items to sell on the platform
• Buy memberships that dole out a certain number of Robux every month instead of buying a small chunk of Robux at a time

The best Roblox games including Adopt Me

Roblox players have tons of options when they want to choose a game. Do they want scary Roblox games or something laid-back and casual? Maybe they just want to know what it’s like to work in a pizza shop for a day. On Roblox, downloading a new experience is easy, but not all of them are created equal.

Here are the best Roblox games in terms of popularity among users:

• Adopt Me! – a Sims-style game where players take care of their home and pets while exploring the world.
• Work at a Pizza Place – roleplay as a pizza place worker in one of the most popular Roblox games of all time. This cooking game has players fulfill customer orders accurately and quickly in one of many roles such as chef and cashier.
• Counter Blox – if this reminds you of Counter Strike, that’s on purpose. It has similar movement, mechanics, aesthetics, and maps.
• Theme Park Tycoon 2 – similar to games like Roller Coaster Tycoon, this amusement park sim game allows players to create and manage their own parks.
• MeepCity – an open world Sims-style game with more focus on home building.
• Scuba Diving at Quil Lake – more relaxing than something like Subnautica, this game lets players find treasures beneath the waves and explore caverns for lost artifacts. It features some survival elements such as maintaining air supply and avoiding toxic water.
• Jailbreak – users play as criminals or cops in this kid-friendly Grand Theft Auto-style game.
• Dungeon Quest – an MMORPG similar to Blizzard’s epic franchise Diablo with tons of loot to find and enemies to slay.
• Anime Fighting Simulator – a rich fighting game, this option features lots of diverse items, weapons, and game modes for tons of beat ’em up action.
• Murder Mystery 2 – find the killer among you and a group of people before it’s too late.

Roblox games competitors

In 2021, Roblox began to refer to its games as “experiences” instead since the user-created ventures are all so different. The company even replaced the “Games” tab on its UI with a “Discover” option instead. Despite this change, most users agree that they are playing games when they go to Roblox.

Though the platform offers many free-to-play experiences, there are tons of free-to-play options on the market today in both the Indie and Triple-A camps. These competitors all give every Roblox experience a run for its Robux.

Trove

The MMO sandbox game was originally launched for Windows PCs but expanded to Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Users choose one of many classes, explore different environments, customize their characters, choose professions, and more.

Players looking for a more RPG-style experience should consider Trove as it has great depth of content and a cute, retro art style. The free-to-play game has a wholesome feel to it, hearkening back to pen and paper RPG games. Some parents may enjoy sharing it with their kids as a step toward other video games and even Dungeons and Dragons.

Minecraft

Minecraft, available as early as 2009, remains one of the world’s best-selling games. Though users can pay for their own servers, they can also play Minecraft for free. Creative mode allows users to create incredible, unique worlds while still exploring the more RPG-related elements of the game.

It’s a fantastic option for parents and kids to play together; it also has a similar aesthetic to Roblox with blocky figures. However, it is limited to exploring, building, crafting, and survival gameplay. Roblox Studio naturally offers more variety since it hosts hundreds of games.

Fortnite

Though it started as a PvE campaign with base building and zombies, Fortnite gained major notoriety for its popular Battle Royale mode. The free-to-play mode pits single players, squads, or teams against each other in a raucous, third-person shooter battle with all of the cosmetics you could imagine.

Since it is free and easy to pick up, many parents will play it with their kids or just let their kids play. Tons of streamers such as the famous Ninja also give the game publicity. However, since the age range of Fortnite varies so widely, it may not be considered as kid-friendly as games on the Roblox platform.

Lego Worlds

The building block titan created its own sandbox title with Lego Worlds. Like Minecraft, users create their own buildings and structures in a procedurally generated realm. It offers a very similar experience to Minecraft, but with the addition of Lego-branded content.

For lovers of Lego blocks, this makes a fantastic game to pick up since it has buildings, vehicles, animals, and more. Again, it is just one game vs. Roblox’s many, but it offers a more restricted experience for younger players.

Verdict on Roblox Studio

The Roblox Studio game platform is home to hundreds of unique, user-created games. Many of them are riffs on classic or popular Indie and Triple-A titles. The platform is free to download, but not all games are free to play. Moreover, cosmetics and items cost real-world money.

Overall, Roblox is worth it if you want to learn the basics of game development, play casual games with friends, or play a video game with your kids.

Developer: Roblox Corporation

Publisher: Roblox Corporation

Game Modes: Single-player and multiplayer

Game Engine: Lua