Roblox Studio, a development platform Roblox, is under scrutiny for its revenue-sharing model, which some critics argue exploits young creators. Read on to learn about the comments from the studio's head and how they see this situation.
Roblox Studio Head Says Its Revenue-Sharing Model is a 'Gift' to Children
Vast Majority of Developers are Over 18
Roblox Studio has been surrounded by controversy for allowing creators of any age to take part in its monetization scheme. Critics have argued that the development platform is an avenue that exploits young creators.
Roblox Studio enables users to create projects and their own games, termed as 'experiences' on the platform, and monetize them by selling in-game items or access. Roblox Corporation, the platform's creator, takes a percentage of this revenue, leading to concerns about the potential exploitation of young developers, many of whom were claimed to be under 18 years old.
However, the head of Roblox Studio, Stefano Corazza, insisted that allowing children to make money on the platform is not exploitation but rather a valuable opportunity - a "gift." Corazza addressed these concerns in a recent interview with Eurogamer.
He highlighted the potential benefits for such developers, especially those who face challenging circumstances, particularly with respect to finance. Corazza stated that Roblox provides an opportunity for individuals, regardless of their age or background, to earn income by creating content.
"You can say, 'Okay, we are exploiting child labour,' right? Or, you can say we are offering people anywhere in the world the capability to get a job, and even an income," Corazza stated, "So, I can be like 15 years old, in Indonesia, living in a slum, and then now, with just a laptop, I can create something, make money and then sustain my life."
"For them, you know, hearing from their experience, they didn't feel like they were exploited!" he continued, "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.'"
While acknowledging concerns about age and income disparities, Corazza also argued for the educational value of Roblox Studio. He noted that millions of users learn programming skills through Lua scripting, a language similar to Python, which could lead to future opportunities in the tech industry.
The PR present during the interview claimed that "the vast majority of people that are earning money on Roblox are over the age of 18." Corazza added, "I mean, our average game developer is in their 20s. But of course, there's people that are teenagers - and we have hired some teenagers that had millions of players on the platform."
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Roblox Studio boss: children making money on the platform isn't exploitation, it's a gift
valid response from ceo