The Dark Side of Roblox Explored Further on YouTube

What’s so bad about Roblox being this popular among kids? Indeed, there are some, as it became public this year. After Roblox had been accused of exploiting minors in an unfair way, the company replied but got even further accusations. The documentary group People Make Games investigates what’s behind the huge community and the billions Roblox makes.

The video People Make Games published on December 13 has four parts, each covering one aspect of Roblox’s behavior. The first one is all about making money. In fact, it says, making games on Roblox is not something a regular kid does on their own to earn an extra buck. It’s a job for collectives to make more competitive games. But minors still follow the illusion of ease, and the consequences are, to say the least, disappointing.

The second section investigates a case of sexual harassment which suddenly didn’t cause any significant actions from Roblox. A developer that sexually harassed a 12-year-old girl from his team, according to the video, got only formally banned from Roblox after she had made it public. His games, though, still generate revenue for him.

The third part sheds light on the item market on Roblox. Overpriced but attractive items effectively prevent earners from withdrawing their earnings. Being essentially kids, they often prefer spending them on in-game items that cost thousands of dollars. The most disturbing part of it is that, due to prices changing and charts showing it, Roblox effectively hosts its own stock market for kids.

Finally, there is a major black-market industry around Roblox that involves real money. These third-party sites are not (and cannot be) moderated by Roblox, which nevertheless does nothing to stop this activity. Why? Because the Roblox economy depends on it, and Roblox keeps it alive with reciprocation.

So far, Roblox hasn’t responded to this video. Its creators say the company tried to get them to delete the previous disclosing video, but instead they get this one. What will Roblox reply with? And what do you think about the platform’s responsibility for what goes on there? Let’s discuss it in the comments!