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Roblox under fire for stock market-like collectibles and minimal safeguarding

YouTube channel People Make Games outlines four concerns with the platform’s operations

YouTube channel People Make Games has released a new video criticising Roblox, arguing that it exploits its core user base which includes nine to 15-year-olds.

At the start of the video, People Make Games’ Quintin Smith claims that during a discussion with Roblox following the release of the first video, Roblox requested that the channel remove the video due to a “number of errors” that the firm avoided detailing.

Four concerns

The channel first posted a video claiming the platform exploits its user base in August, which has since generated over 900,000 views.

Following the original video, a number of Roblox users approached the channel to discuss the platform’s negligence towards its young users.

In the recent video, Smith explained four concerns they have identified, such as the platform’s unregulated managers and issues surrounding moderation and child safety.

Smith begins by explaining that due to the lack of supervision over the creators and companies that operate on Roblox there is little support developers whose managers change their terms can receive.

The video highlights that discussing management misconduct on the Roblox developer forums is classed as harassment.

Later in the video, Smith details that a high-profile Roblox creator had used sexually explicit language towards a minor. Eventually, Roblox disabled the creator’s personal account.

However, they are still apparently involved in the development of the Roblox experience and continue to profit from it.

Roblox’s black market

People Make Games also addresses the presence of the digital collectible marketplace on the platform and the company’s hosting of a secondary market where these collectibles can be resold, with Roblox taking a 30 per cent cut from each transaction.

Smith details that the in-game marketplace has graphs that show the change in the price of collectibles over time, and likens it to a real-world stock market.

Finally, Smith explains that to avoid the Roblox cut, users turn to black-market websites that allow the buying and selling of virtual currencies and items that risk exposing its young userbase to issues including malware, phishing scams, and hidden fees.

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