“Cecilia D’Anastasio: Roblox is the purest example of the fact that online games can function as social media”
“Older people are often surprised that these Lego-like avatars and blocky fashions hold that kind of power–and that’s because they’re missing the main thing about Roblox. When you drop into a lot of these games, you’re immediately immersed in the invisible social contract particular to that one digital experience. Do you remember what it was like being on the playground and witnessing the “wolf kids” or the kids role-playing as cops or Animorphs? Kids today are manifesting those dynamics in Roblox as fully-formed games they make themselves. Then, they’re pulling in kids from other schools and transferring those relationships into their Discord servers or elsewhere online”
“I love reporting on and in Roblox because it’s one of the few online games that really understands itself as a place, not just a set of mechanics wrapped in a story or an aesthetic”
“I’m sure Roblox would like a higher percentage of its users to own credit cards and purchase in-game goods. But it’s hard to say whether Roblox “prefers” kids or adults. I think it just wants to be everything for everyone, and it may even have the potential to be at some point down the line”