Roblox considering virtual dating as a way to court older users

Baszucki pointed out that the majority of Roblox’s most popular games are developed by people over the age of 17, and suggested these individuals would like to expand their reach. Of course, it is not surprising that most developers are young adults or older given the skills required to code on the platform. But to Baszucki’s point, as developers age, they may want to create the kinds of experiences that they themselves—along with others their age—would like to play.

“Phantom Forces,” for example, is a first-person shooter game available on Roblox that resembles “Call of Duty”—replete with gunfire, blood and intense gameplay. Other mature titles contain sexual content and mature themes, and though Roblox often removes them, there is clearly a demand from both developers and users. If Roblox were to court older audiences, reconsidering the permissibility of such games, to an extent, may be necessary.

Activities like virtual dating or indie movie screenings would likely appear in Roblox with an age restriction. Many games are already billed as “9+” or “13+” in order to protect younger users.