The Roblox online platform is designed specifically for creating games. Users can exercise their creativity or play games developed by others. Moreover, developers do not limit opportunities to any one genre. Roblox offers to create products in a wide range of areas from racing to simulators.
A little bit of history
Roblox was launched in 2006. The platform was created based on the Lua programming language. The platform was created by a group of American developers. Despite its exclusive focus on the gaming industry, Roblox is now used not only for entertainment, but also for training sessions.
The beta version of the project appeared back in 2004. In the same year, project co-founder David Bashutsky conducted the first demonstration tests of the platform. In 2007, it was equipped with a secure chat that made it possible to limit users' communication to thirteen years of age. In the same year, a special chat for Builders was added, a premium subscription was added, and the servers were updated and improved.
Currently, Roblox is a real industry that allows you to realize your creative potential. This is a unique opportunity for children to take their first steps in the world of computer game programming.
Roblox features
Games like Minecraft or Fortnite are very popular today. However, we can safely say that Roblox was their ancestor. In this game, block figures were first implemented, which later migrated to other products.
Using the online platform, users can program their own worlds and spend time with other players in them. This is the biggest advantage of the project. If you can change something in the game, and create your own products, it means that the platform can be used, among other things, for teaching programming.
Roblox offers its own engine that will make it easier for children to understand how computer worlds are created. With Roblox, kids will be able to unleash their creativity faster and take their first steps in development.
The peculiarity of the Roblox engine is that it is fully adapted for novice users. Despite the fact that the platform itself is written in the Lua programming language, you don't need to know it to create your own products in this system. We can say that Roblox is the simplest development environment that allows you to create games using built-in blocks and functions.
What to choose for training, Scratch or Roblox?
Speaking about Roblox, it is impossible not to recall that there are other platforms that can help children learn what programming is and allow them to take their first steps towards this interesting and popular profession. For example, one of the popular platforms is Scratch. What should I give preference to?
In fact, both Scratch and Roblox are worth considering. The fact is that both platforms are equally successfully used for learning the basics of programming and do their job well.
Roblox could be highlighted due to the fact that there is a huge list of games here. Everything is limited only by the child's imagination and his desire to create. However, even this wide variety doesn't mean Roblox is better than Scratch. They are completely different, although both platforms have the same goal: to teach a child how to develop.
Scratch is a kind of preparation for any programming language. That is, using this platform, the child will learn the basics of development that will be useful regardless of what programming language they will study in the future.
Roblox is more of a preparation for working with Lua in the future. So this is a step towards game development, which is also a very promising area. That's not entirely true, though. With Roblox, children will also be able to learn the ropes of programming and, in the future, choose their own field of activity based on their own preferences.
Roblox benefits
The advantages of this platform include:
- Increasing popularity. Almost every child has heard something about Roblox or played games on this platform themselves. Accordingly, children have an idea of how things work. That is, it will be much easier to get acquainted with Roblox. Moreover, many people want to create their own games and even try to do it using the platform's tools.
- A colorful creative workshop. Roblox offers a simplified mechanism for creating computer games. Everything is adapted in such a way that a child does not need much knowledge or experience to create their own product. But, at the same time, the child will be able to unleash his creative potential here.
- Suitable for all ages. It's never too late to learn programming. This motto could easily be applied to the Roblox platform. Children from 6 years old can work here. Despite the simple and unpretentious mechanism for creating their own gaming products, the platform will be equally interesting for older children as an opportunity to take their first steps in development.
- The Lua language module, which is used at the heart of the platform, is simple and straightforward. It won't take long to study it. At the same time, it is quite interesting and offers all the necessary tools for students to quickly immerse themselves in the development process.
- The opportunity to work together on projects. One of the most important advantages of this platform is that users are encouraged to work together on any project. It is necessary to understand that today entire teams are developing many products. This approach on the part of Roblox allows the child not only to start learning programming, but also to learn how to work in a team. Such skills will be useful not only in development.
Roblox is safe
Today, on the Internet, you can find the opinion that Roblox poses some danger to children. Moreover, the problems include the risks of spending money (to buy various upgrades) or uncontrolled communication between peers or older and younger ones.
Maybe the problem really exists. But if we consider Roblox solely as entertaining content with which the child will spend all their time uncontrollably. But in this case, any program or game is dangerous.
Moreover, the same dangers will await the child offline. At school, for example, he will also interact with peers or older children. Therefore, the problem that is being talked about in many forums is rather far-fetched.
In any case, if Roblox is used exclusively for training, it is not only safe, but also very useful. With the help of the platform, a child will be able to immerse themselves in the development process in just a short time and they may have new interests.
A promising direction
How promising is game development in general? In terms of the popularity of vacancies, game developers (from English. Game developer), developers in this area are not as popular as, for example, creators of web applications. JavaScript, Python, Java, and others are popular programming languages today.
However, if you look at the video game industry as a whole, it is constantly growing. Many studios that started with just one office have now become real giants. For example, if you look at the history of Wargaming, a Minsk company, in just a few years, this developer has become an international corporation with offices in many countries around the world.
In the future, interest in this area is unlikely to fade away. There are real masterpieces in the gaming industry that have long gone beyond the entertainment industry. Many games feature tournaments, streams, and so on. In other words, this area remains not only promising, but can also promise a good income for the developer in the future.
