Upon further reflection, I think I've figured out why my kids and I don't see this as exploitative - they're not trying to get rich or famous.
I'm not trying to be mean to anyone, but if you look at all of the complaints through the filter of someone who wants to a) learn to make a video game, b) learn some programming, and c) make a cool game to share with his friends, then Roblox is a really fun, free, and easy way to do all of the above.
If your filter is a kid who a) wants to make a game that goes viral and earn a bunch of money off of it, then yeah - some of these are legit complaints.
Btw. did you really talk to your kids about this and really explained them the situation in a way they can appreciate it? For instance, take a large number of treats divide them on the table and show them who gets what for a game they built…
I think this would be a exceptionally great case to discuss business ethics and the perils of unregulated markets in a way that resonates with kids. Don’t leave this opportunity on the table!
I am really surprised by this attitude. I think most of the negative comments here are fueld by a perception of unfairness in general and not any drive to become famous or anything.
You basically seem to advocate for a world where it is ok for platform developers to double maybe tripple dip on transactions that only exist because of the hard work of others. I for myself don’t want to live in a world where this is par for the course. It should be called out and people should be made aware of injustice. It’s not about becoming rich or famous yourself but just realizing unfairness if you see it and ideally taking action on it so that the world may become a better place for all.
i mean, roblox still makes money off of the kid's effort and labor and work, and engineered the system such that they take large amount of cuts for that work.
I highly doubt the amount they take as a cut is necessary.
I'm not trying to be mean to anyone, but if you look at all of the complaints through the filter of someone who wants to a) learn to make a video game, b) learn some programming, and c) make a cool game to share with his friends, then Roblox is a really fun, free, and easy way to do all of the above.
If your filter is a kid who a) wants to make a game that goes viral and earn a bunch of money off of it, then yeah - some of these are legit complaints.