Roblox Boss Says Kids Making Money On The Platform Is "A Gift", Not Exploitation

05.04.2024 - 03:33 / thegamer.com

Roblox is an absolutely massive game, and chances are you know what it is even if you've never picked up a controller in your life. It's a game squarely marketed towards children, offering a variety of online experiences and giving users the chance to create their own worlds. If those worlds happen to be popular, the company pays users for their work in Robux, the game's virtual currency.

The Roblox Corporation has been accused in recent years of "exploiting" its vast swathe of young game developers - a lot of which are under 18 - with this system, after YouTube channel People Make Games uploaded a detailed report which I highly recommend you watch if you want to know more.

Basically, one of the biggest points of contention with this sytem is the Robux exchange rate, as players can cash out 1,000 Robux for $3.50. However, buying 1000 Robux from the company sets you back $12.50, and the argument is that young developers aren't being paid what their Robux is actually worth.

A couple of years on from that initial report from People Make Games, Roblox still hasn't managed to shake that reputation for exploiting children for cheap labor, and Roblox boss Stefano Corazza believes it's an unfair reputation. Speaking with Eurogamer at GDC last month, Corazza explains his belief that Roblox's ability to earn children money is actually a "gift" and that he thinks the platform is "offering people anywhere in the world the capability to get a job".

"For them, you know, hearing from their experience, they didn't feel like they were exploited! They felt like, 'Oh my god, this was the biggest gift, all of a sudden I could create something, I had millions of users, I made so much money I could retire.'"

Corazza then points to the thousands of children learning how to code as proof that users are receiving much more support than just monetary gain, and that the skills children pick up by creating Roblox maps could help them land a job in the tech industry in the future.

Unfortunately, he doesn't go into the abysmal exchange rate that Roblox is currently offering its developers, nor what the likelihood is of developers actually creating a map that will attract millions of users. Many people have already criticized Roblox for dangling the prospect of making thousands if they get a map to hit with the Roblox community, and the fact that players can buy ad space with Robux means that the players with the most money will always come out on top.

A PR representative during Eurogamer's talk with Corazza explained that the "vast majority" of people earning money from Roblox are over 18, but Corazza's own comments will do little to change the perception of those that already think Roblox is benefiting from child