Roblox players to start seeing video ads in its virtual realms

[ethanholt1]

Roblox has been on a constant downward trend. They’ve been doing some pretty awful stuff, including exploitation of children developers [0], unregulated market which encourages kids to gamble, lackluster moderation allowing kids to be harassed or worse, [both 1] and allowing manipulative and predatory games on their site [2].

[0] https://youtu.be/_gXlauRB1EQ?si=Cwfswyot9_FT29Fy

[1] https://youtu.be/vTMF6xEiAaY?si=MbT71UNeO0vEPSrr

[2] https://youtu.be/cGAXGroHZKA?si=mlCDY02aUXaJ9EPQ

[nineplay]

> Exploitation of children developers

That's a pretty extreme interpretation. Anyone who downloads the IDE can create and publish a game. If kids are using the tool, making fun games, and sharing them with other people, than I think that's a good thing.

Roblox is making money off various sorts of in-app purchases, but you can make an account for free, you can play games for free, and you can create games for free. It's not much of a nefarious plot.

[kurisufag]

as someone that grew up on roblox (i.e. has been playing semi-consistently for ~11 years, since elementary school), insofar as any of that is true, none of it is new.

If anything, the robux -> profit conversion rate was much worse back in the day (iirc engaging in it at all necessitated purchasing the highest subscription level, the now-defunct `Outrageous Builders Club'), and it was far more common for kids to waste their parents' money on `limiteds'.

the most widely-implemented roblox cheat feature (short of actual lua execution) was a button that would reskin you and another player to naked tones, then teleport their model to a doggystyle position. we used to sit around during sleepovers and scroll the catalog looking for games titled [18+ s3x rp] to mess around in.

on the flip side, fiddling with .rblx studio taught me lua and rudimentary 3D modeling at a ludicrously young age, and I made similar online acquaintances who went on to do very well with their learned skills.

[taurath]

They got the userbase and importantly took a massive amount of money at a multibillion dollar valuation, but now have to monetize so the product will get worse until the userbase goes away. It really is a Ponzi scheme all the way down

[tomjuggler]

I wonder if my pi-hole setup will work to remove those ads like it does all the annoying and sometimes dangerous android in-app ads my son used to have to put up with.

Still annoyed with Roblox for blocking the Linux (wine) version from working so I have to use my phone to play now. Yes I play Roblox at 45, I get to interact with the kid and keep an eye on what he's doing. Still prefer Minecraft though..

[xyst]

Got to get them hooked early. Probably some studies that indicate product promotion to kids at this age will have a high affinity or loyalty later in life. ) (Pumping the 2034 quarterly numbers)

[onemoresoop]

Yikes, ads for kids is atrocious

[nomel]

This comment seems is fairly disconnected from the reality of what the average kid experience these days. Television, Youtube, Hulu, Peacock, TikTok [1], gaming consoles, and the vast majority of iPhone and android games are all full of ads. 80% of kids have access to tablets/phones [2].

[1] 50% of kids are on TikTok. https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2023/03/new-data-pro...

[2] 80% have access to tablets. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/04/tablets-more-...

[endtime]

FTA:

> The company in November began testing the video ads — that will be served to users who are 13 years and older

Maybe by kids you meant 13-17...but I feel like teenagers are not exactly a demographic that never sees targeted ads (e.g. through social media, on YouTube, etc.).

(Full disclosure, I work for Roblox, but not on anything related to ads. Obviously representing just myself and not my employer.)

[martinky24]

I don't love the idea either, but in what way is this worse than ads on Nickelodeon?

[constantcrying]

Roblox already allows children to engage in a in-game stock market for items. Ads were overdue to be honest.

[autoexec]

Roblox maybe advertising to kids very aggressively. Recently a redditor claimed that this was their child's assigned homework (https://i.redd.it/6o2r9jazhoxc1.jpeg)

It seems to come from MagiCore (magicoreacademy.com) who also offers this "Virtual Field Trip to Disney World" (https://magicorelearning.com/shop/product-line/virtual-field...) and while they claim to not be affiliated with Disney (who is usually very litigious about any use of their name/characters), they don't say anything like that about Roblox here https://magicorelearning.com/shop/florida-b-e-s-t-standards/...

[milesvp]

I refuse to let my kids play Roblox. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy ...". That place is full of kids scamming each other, and I've not heard many good things about the company either. I was once trying to tell my child about this in a public setting, and a nearby older kid was just smirking knowingly about all the things I was talking about. Gambling, theft, foul language. Frankly, it almost seems like a good playground for older kids to learn some cheap life lessons from, but I'm not sure what age one can partake of some of these things without it warping your personality.

[thisisauserid]

I seem to recall targeted advertisements for breakfast cereals and toys. Was it atrocious? Maybe, but it was old way before I was born. I'm shocked that people are shocked.

[rich_sasha]

Just had an atrocious vision where you get in your self driving car, select destination, sit back in your seat... and the car starts showing you full windscreen ads (you don't need to look out after all).

[mrbadguy]

Gah! Don’t give them ideas!

[foobarian]

Cmon Meta buy them already

[NEETPILLED]

rizzless behavior from OP