If you’re a parent of school-age kids, the chances are you’ve heard of Roblox. With over 43 million daily active users, it’s not surprising that it’s one of the most popular gaming platforms for children, which has almost double the number of users since early 2020.
What is Roblox?
Roblox is an online multiplayer network where you can both play and create a wide variety of different games (which Roblox call experiences). It can be downloaded onto PC, Xbox and mobile devices such as smart phone, iPad and tablets. Once a free account has been created, users can access an extensive number of different games of diverse genres.
Although the platform is free to download and use, there is a currency called Robux that is purchased with money which can be used to buy:
- Different customisation items for your avatar (the in-game character that you control)
- Game Passes - a one-time purchase offering a permanent power-up or special item/s to use within that experience.
- A small number of Roblox experiences that are unlocked with a one-time fee
- Other in-game items and enhancements (some of which are single use)
- Private servers in some experiences (many are free)
Roblox Safety
While Roblox has a number of features in place for safety, you can further modify these in the account settings. While in different game servers there is a chat function that allows users to communicate. Roblox filtering software detects things like names, places, phone numbers and inappropriate language and replaces these with hashtags, it’s important to remember that these are not completely fail safe, and depending on your child’s stage of development you might want to adjust the settings to add extra safety measures – such as switching the chat off altogether, or use Roblox only to play with known friends in private servers.
While in Roblox experiences, users can easily send and receive friend requests from other random users. Once accepted, unless disabled, users can send private messages to each other. These settings can be fully customised to suit the age of your child in the privacy and parental controls sections of settings. Additionally, you can restrict access certain games based on the recommended age and set spending limits.
Top 10 Popular Roblox games
1. Doors – This relatively new Roblox horror game sets itself apart from others with its exceptional graphics. Expect a lot of jump scares, dark rooms and terrifying entities, as you move from door to door to make your final escape.
2. Tower of Hell – This game is an ultimate obby – which is short for obstacle course. You will need to navigate your avatar to the top of a difficult course, restarting the game every time you fall, and be the first to the top! Feel your frustration levels rise!
3. Bedwars – Multiple teams have to navigate across treacherous sky islands to collect resources and battle each other. Every team has a bed on their island that allows them to respawn, so the aim is to destroy the beds of the enemy teams and eliminate them for good.
4. Murder Mystery 2 – In this game all participants are randomly assigned a role at the start of the round. Innocents have to try and survive; the murderer has to try to eliminate everyone and the sheriff has to eliminate the murderer.
5. Blox Fruits – This anime inspired game sees users sailing between islands to defeat each other, enemies and bosses to reign supreme. Randomly placed fruits can be eaten to gain special abilities, such as transforming into a dragon.
6. Welcome To Bloxburg – This is a highly creative game where you build and decorate your own home which can be used for role play. Building, budgeting and creating are the aims of this game. Bloxburg costs 25 Robux as a one-time purchase
7. Piggy – This popular horror themed game has a variety of maps, but the general premise to navigate the area, uncover mysteries and try to escape the deadly pigs.
8. Royale High – This is a school-themed roleplay and dress-up game that sees users completing various activities to level up and collect in-game currency to purchase new items to use in the game and show off to your friends.
9. Brookhaven – This role play town has something for everyone. You can have a house, car and job and role play with friends. While this game is fabulous for wholesome family role play games it also contains spooky features and weapons that can be used in role play.
10. Adopt Me – In this family friendly game you can hatch eggs, grow and trade pets, decorate a variety of houses and role play with your friends. This very popular game has weekly updates, meaning there’s always new things to explore.
Roblox on Outschool
Outschool has a vast number of classes dedicated to Roblox and hosted by a huge variety of different teachers. Some classes will teach how to make your own games within Roblox, others may teach aspects of a particular game, how to play it and stay safe. Many classes are more social in nature and will focus on one or more games that will be played by all the class participants and hosted and moderated by the teacher.
How does a Roblox class on Outschool work?
Although every teacher will have their own unique style and way of running their class, there will be some typical things you can expect.
- Once you’ve signed up for the class you may receive some information such as the name of the Roblox account that will be hosting the private server. Some teachers will give this out at the start of the class.
- Adding the teachers account is necessary so that the class participants can safely join a private server that only they can access.
- Chat functions in the game don’t need to be used, as everyone will be able to video (or type) chat in the virtual classroom. This makes it an exciting way to share in the game allowing for discussions, tip sharing, collaborative creating and role playing.
- Some Roblox classes on Outschool are more skill based than social. These include things like coding and creating.
- Class sizes will vary depending on factors such as the game and what the class aims are. Some games work best with lots of participants (especially team games) and where more discussions and tips are shared a smaller group may be a better fit.
The variety offered on Outschool allows everyone to choose what works best for their child.
Benefits of Roblox Classes
People may wonder why they might pay for their child to play a free game. There are a number of reasons why this a choice for thousands of Outschool parents.
- Safety – Outschool teachers are all experienced and background checked. They conduct the class in a secure, environment, and games are always played in teacher-hosted private servers. All learners are visually seen by teachers, so you know that your child is playing with children in their own age group. Around 30% of Roblox users are adults, so Outschool provides assurance that children are playing games with their peers.
- Behaviour management – Roblox has over 43 million daily users, and children randomly joining games can be playing with anyone across the world, of any age. This means players will frequently encounter bullying and scamming, which often goes unreported. In Outschool hosted Roblox classes the teacher is setting rules, boundaries and behaviour expectations and ensuring quieter voices are also heard.
- Socialisation – Roblox classes provide a supported environment where communication skills can be developed, confidence built and everyone is given the opportunity to contribute in whichever way they feel comfortable. Many children like the safety of a moderated environment having experienced unpleasant interactions with others in public gaming servers. It allows them to enjoy the games, learn new tips and have the opportunity to
connect with peers. - Building Friendships – Although Outschool has strict rules about not sharing personal information in the virtual classroom, many learners build strong friendships with their Outschool peers, especially in social clubs that meet regularly. Roblox games, with their customisable avatar can provide a wonderful way for kids to come together and have fun, be creative and build bonds.
You can find a wide variety of Roblox classes to suit your needs on Outschool here.
Astrid Schilder is one of Outschool's Roblox teachers:
“I absolutely love hosting Roblox classes on Outschool! I put many hours of preparation into researching, creating and developing my classes to ensure they are fresh, fun and safe. I love how these classes can be so inclusive for young people who may not enjoy or feel confident to talk in person. They can send in their avatar, and join in the fun while feeling safe, but included.”
Astrid's classes include a variety of Roblox classes for Bloxburg, Brookhaven, Adopt Me, Hide & Seek and more, as well as Among Us and Gacha social clubs. She also offers 1:1 classes to help players improve their Bloxburg skills. You can see her Outschool classes here.
