Roblox

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RŌBLOX
Roblox logo
Developer(s) Roblox Corporation
Distributor(s) Roblox Corporation
Engine OGRE3D
ImPlicitNgine
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, iPad 2+, iPhone 4+, iPod touch 5th generation
Release date(s) 2005
Genre(s) MMORPG, Physics-based sandbox
Mode(s) Multiplayer
Media/distribution Download

Roblox, stylized as RŌBLOX, is an massively multiplayer online game created and marketed toward children and teenagers aged 8-16. In the game, players are able to create their own virtual world, in which they or other online members may enter and socialize within the blocks of varying shapes, sizes, and colors.[1] Games on Roblox can be scripted using a sandboxed edition of Lua 5.1, to affect events that occur in-game and create different scenarios. The game has been known to be quite educational as children will learn computer programming, stocks, ratios, the advertising world and marketing throughout their choices of what they would like the do on Roblox. The company's main source of revenue comes from the "Builder's Club" virtual benefits, in which users who have created an account may purchase either Builders Club, Turbo Builder's Club, or Outrageous Builder's Club, otherwise known by users as BC, TBC, and OBC, respectively.[2]

Contents

History and development

Roblox was created by founder and co-founder David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 2004, and went public in 2005.[3] It was named after a portmanteau of the words robots and blocks.[4]

Early history (2006-2009)

In early 2006, Roblox had one currency, known as Roblox Points, which was subsequently discontinued and replaced with "Tickets" and "Robux". In mid-2007, Roblox programmed a more advanced character concept to allow for more complex items such as hairpieces to be worn.[5] Roblox player badges were first introduced on 22 December 2006. One of the badges included the "Bloxxer" badge.[6] Meshes were added, and so were the abilities of sending friend requests to other players, and sending messages. Other things accomplished in 2006 were searching through players, places, and items, multiplayer places, stats, and inventories.[7]

In 2007, customizing your character became possible.[8] In late January, the Report Abuse button was added for players to report inappropriate behavior.[9] In March of 2007, Roblox became COPPA compliant, with the addition of Safe Chat, in which users who have registered under the age of 13 may only communicate by means of selecting predefined messages from a menu.[10] In April 2007, Roblox added the feature of Builders Club and server improvements.[11]

BC-exclusive features and additional game features (2010-2012)

In 2010, Roblox began creating body shapes which Builder's Club members could purchase using the virtual currency.[12]

In 2011, more than 5.4 million games were created.

In May 2012, Roblox released a system in which "Builders Club" members could trade certain items. The system has been improved since then.[13]

On 5 June 2012, Roblox announced that a water block could be placed in a game via Roblox Studio. [14]

On December 11, 2012, Roblox released the ability to play games on iOS.[15] The current iOS devices compatible with running Roblox games are iPad 2 or newer, iPhone 4 or newer, and the iPod 5. The Roblox mobile app gives users the ability to customize their character, shop in the virtual catalog, play games, view their profile, and respond to messages.

On 21 December 2012, featherweight parts were introduced. This feature enhanced game performance heavily.[16]

Contemporary history (2012-present)

The co-founder of ROBLOX, Erik Cassel, died on the morning of February 11, 2013 after a three-year battle with cancer.[17]

Gameplay

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Players can customize their virtual characters with hats, head shapes, body shapes, clothing, and gear. All players can create their own pants, t-shirt, or shirt that they can wear.

There are currently four different modes for playing games, which are the "Play Mode", "Build Mode", "Personal Server", and "Edit Mode".

Social interaction

Players can add other people they meet in the game to their friends list. From the friends list, players can select up to 20 friends as their best friends. Players can set their profile status for their best friends to view on their news feed, and best friends and friends alike can view statuses when going to their profile.[18] Players also have the option join Community Groups.[19] After joining, players can then advertise their group,[20] participate in group relations,[21] and set primary groups.[22] In games however, players who signed up with their age being over 13 can free chat, or type whatever they want to say. Players who are guests or signed up under the age of 13 must use safe chat, which only allows a list of phrases set by Roblox. However, adding an e-mail to an account under the age of 13 and e-mailing Roblox you would like to be able to chat, they will change the option. There is a wide range of words that are blocked because of moderation and preventing any type of profanity by adding a ###, for instance according to the website, if a banned word is "Bird" a user under 13 will only be able to see ####.

World construction

Editing using Roblox Studio 2013.

Players construct games with building bricks/blocks, varying in size, shape, and color using Roblox Studio, a software resembling Microsoft Visual Studio used for customizing places. Players can use the programming language Lua to dynamically change the environment of the game.[23] Also, plugins can be developed with Lua to be used in Roblox Studio.[24] Roblox Studio was recently replaced with its succedent, Roblox Studio 2013. The 2nd version of Studio features a more organized layout, a corrector in the programming space resembling Spell Check, and a new design. Players were initially having problems with the screen shaking, the inability to select parts, and crashes during the first few weeks of the release.

Economy and Currency

Roblox includes two virtual currencies: Tickets and Robux. They can be converted from one to the other with the currency exchange.[25][26] Tickets are earned for a variety of activities: when places are visited, as a daily login bonus, or for item sales including shirts, pants, and t-shirts. In-game items can be sold for either a set price in any type of currency, allowing the buyer to choose which currency they pay with. Robux is earned daily by premium members in varying amounts depending on the user's type of membership. Robux can also be earned through sale of virtual goods or can be purchased directly with real money.

Holiday Traditions

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During holidays like Easter, Halloween, or Christmas, Roblox will adapt the website to resemble the season. For example, in Halloween, the website theme will be black, orange, and purple, with a pumpkin representing the "o" in Roblox. In Easter, Roblox sets up a level where players can search the world for "eggs" to collect and earn as hats for their character. On Halloween and Christmas, Roblox creates "gifts" where the players can earn or buy them. After they are no longer obtainable, the gifts will open after a set period of time and give players a specific unique item.

Moderation and Deletion

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Because Roblox is a safe online world[citation needed], there are real life moderators who review content submitted and moderate chats during games. The current possible things to be moderated on are: foruming, chatting in game, chatting on parties, commenting, submitting an inappropriate decal, pants, or shirt, or posing as an administrator. There are varying levels of punishment that can be used. From least severe to most severe, they are: Reminder, Warning, One-Day ban, 3-Day ban, 7-Day ban, 14-Day ban, Account Deletion, Proxy Ban (IP Ban), and Poison Ban. Poison Ban is when all accounts associated with the same e-mail address are deleted.

When a player's account is terminated, other users are no longer able to view the user's profile, stats, or inventory, although they can still play games created by the player. The player's user page is then deleted and shows a "Item you requested does not exist" page.

Upgrades

Roblox is free to play, although members may purchase memberships to enhance their game experience. One membership option, Builders Club, grants players multiple amenities, including a daily virtual currency stipend of 15 Robux per day. Cards are available for sale in the US, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and in the UK.[27] Roblox cards can be brought at: Toys R Us,[28] 7-Eleven,[29] Best Buy,[30] GameStop,[31] Walmart,[32] Future Shop,[33] Target,[34] CVS[35] Sainsbury,[36] F.Y.E,[37] EB Games,[38] Shoppers Drug Mart, and ASDA (Part of the WAL-MART Family), and GAME in the U.K. In addition to normal game cards, Roblox released Double Peg cards, which are larger than the original cards and have two distinctive "pegs" located on the top. They can currently only be bought at GameStop.[39]

Relief funds

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In 2010, Roblox published two hats in the virtual catalog that players could purchase to fund for earthquake relief for the Haiti earthquake. They were named the "Blue Hat for Haiti", and the "Red Hat for Haiti". For every player who bought the blue hat, Roblox would donate 10 cents to the Red Cross Relief Fund to help Haiti recover. For every player who bought those items, Roblox had donated 65 cents to the Red Cross. In two days, 16,000 players raised $5479 to help Haiti. The cheque was sent to the Red Cross on January 21, 2010.

In 2011, Roblox also published two hats that players could purchase to raise money for Japan after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The Rising Sun Cap and the Japanese Baseball Cap were put into the Catalog for players to buy. For every Rising Sun Cap that players bought, Roblox would donate $1.00 to the Red Cross. For every Japanese Baseball Cap that players bought, Roblox would donate 10 cents to the Red Cross. The 23,395 purchases raised $10,445.80 for the American Red Cross.

In 2013, Roblox published a hat after the death of their co-founder, Erik Cassel. For every time the hat was bought, a grand 43394 times, Roblox would donate money to help cancer research, as cancer was the cause of the death.[40]

Roblox events

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Every year, the Roblox Staff travels to a center and hosts a Roblox Convention where players can go and meet the administrators and view demonstrations.

Roblox Rally 2011

The 2011 Roblox convention was held at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California on August 1, 2011. At the time, the convention was named the Roblox Rally. Attendants received a free poster, a T-Shirt, water bottle, and their own lanyard. Each player who attended also received a free lunch of their choice.

Roblox Game Conference 2012

In 2012, the Roblox convention was held at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California on July 14, 2012. The convention was again renamed, this time as the Roblox Game Conference. Attendees received a poster, and their own lanyard. If tickets were purchased before certain dates, they would also receive extra items such as a T-Shirt, water bottle, virtual gear, and a virtual visor.

BLOXcon 2013

For the first time in its history, the Roblox convention will be held outside of its home state. There will be three different conventions, each hosted on a separate date. The first one will be held on July 13, 2013, at the Museum of Science and Industry, in Chicago, Illinois.

The second BLOXcon will be held on July 21, 2013, at the Royal Air Force Museum in London, England, just a mere two weeks after the first one.

The last BLOXcon for 2013 will be held at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, New York on August 10, 2013.

2013 Roblox Film Festival

Recently announced on the Roblox Blog, there will be a Roblox Film Festival this year starting in late April and enging on 3 different dates. Players can choose from a variety of categories, some applying to the BLOXcon events. For example, a user might enter a video showing what London is like. The winning video picked from each category relating to a BLOXcon event will be shown at the actual event. Deadlines for the BLOXcon related events are three days before each event. The prize is an award under the moniker "BLOXY", mocking the Oscars.[41]

References

  1. ^ "Roblox: A virtual world of Lego-like blocks". CNET. Retrieved 29 February 2012. 
  2. ^ Baszucki, David. "Upgrades". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 7 February 2013. 
  3. ^ "Roblox Info on BusinessWeek". BusinessWeek. Retrieved 20 September 2009. 
  4. ^ "Interview with Telamon". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 20 September 2009. 
  5. ^ "Roblox Developers' Journal >> More Character Visuals". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 22 March 2010. 
  6. ^ Baszucki, David (22 December 2006). "ROBLOX Badges". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2013. 
  7. ^ Shedletsky, John (1 January 2007). "2006 in Review". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2013. 
  8. ^ Shedletsky, John (12 January 2007). "Blox. James Blox.". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2013. 
  9. ^ Cassel, Erik (31 January 2007). ""Report Abuse!!!"". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2013. 
  10. ^ Shedletsky, John (27 March 2007). "A New Day Dawns…". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2013. 
  11. ^ Shedletsky, John (12 April 2007). "Paintballs and Pointy Things". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2013. 
  12. ^ "Do You Need Any Body?". Retrieved 11-07-2010. 
  13. ^ http://blog.roblox.com/2012/05/sneak-peek-trading-system/
  14. ^ http://blog.roblox.com/2012/06/the-water-is-running-in-roblox/
  15. ^ "ROBLOX Mobile Is Out of Beta: Download and Play Today!". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 14 December 2012. 
  16. ^ http://blog.roblox.com/2012/12/featherweight-parts-one-million-parts-one-roblox-world/
  17. ^ Baszucki, David (2013-02-12). "In Memory of Erik Cassel". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 2013-02-12. 
  18. ^ "Status Updates, Best Friends, and Feeds, oh my". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  19. ^ "Social Feature Bonanza!". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  20. ^ "Advertise This Group". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  21. ^ "Group Relationships Feature!". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  22. ^ "Group Theory". Roblox Corporation. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  23. ^ "Roblox as an educational program language". Kids Like. Retrieved 24 January 2009. 
  24. ^ "Roblox - A Cool Lego-Based Free Virtual World for Kids". makeuseof.com. Retrieved 11 October 2009. 
  25. ^ "It’s the Economy…". Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
  26. ^ "Roblox Lets Kids Build Their Own Worlds Online". Forbes. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  27. ^ "ROBLOX Cards Now Available at 7-Eleven!". Roblox Corporation. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010. 
  28. ^ "Now available at Toys R Us". Roblox Corporation. 
  29. ^ "Now available at 7-Eleven". Roblox Corporation. 
  30. ^ "Now available at Best Buy". Roblox Corporation. 
  31. ^ "Now available at GameStop". Roblox Corporation. 
  32. ^ "Now available at Walmart". Roblox Corporation. 
  33. ^ "Now available at Future Shop". Roblox Corporation. 
  34. ^ "Now available at Target". Roblox Corporation. 
  35. ^ "Now available at CVS". Roblox Corporation. 
  36. ^ "Now available at Sainsbury". Roblox Corporation. 
  37. ^ "Now available at F.Y.E". Roblox Corporation. 
  38. ^ "Now available at EB Games". Roblox Corporation. 
  39. ^ "Double Peg Cards". Roblox Corporation. 
  40. ^ http://blog.roblox.com/2013/02/gear-items-in-remembrance-of-erik-cassel/
  41. ^ "Win a Prestigious Bloxy at the Roblox Film Festival!". Roblox Corporation. 
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