The Rise of Roblox

When Alex Binello was 12 years old, he and a friend stumbled onto a website called Roblox. It was full of games that took only a few minutes to play. They bounced from mini-games to combat games to world-building ones. They earned colorful clothes for their blocky, human-shaped avatars to wear while running around game maps. But what Binello liked most was that regular people like him—not professional game designers—made everything he was playing.

Binello soon started developing his own Roblox games. Now 23, he has made four games that have been played millions of times. His main project, MeepCity, gets more than 1 million players a day! What started as a fun hobby has become Binello’s full-time job.

The over 40 million games on Roblox were all created in Roblox Studio. It’s a visual designing tool that’s easy for beginners to dive into, according to a developer who goes by the name of Beeism. “In Roblox Studio, I felt like making games was something I could do,” she says. “I had no prior experience in gaming. It’s really user-friendly.”

When Alex Binello was 12 years old, he and a friend were playing on the computer. They stumbled onto a website called Roblox. It was full of games that took only a few minutes to play. They found mini-games and combat games. There were even games where they could build their own worlds. They played using blocky, human-shaped characters. They could earn colorful clothes to wear while they ran around game maps. But what Binello liked most was who made the games. Nothing he was playing came from a professional game designer. Everything was built by regular people like him.

Binello soon started building his own Roblox games. Now 23, he has made four games in all. They've been played millions of times. His main project is called MeepCity. More than 1 million people play it every day! What started as a fun hobby has become Binello's full-time job.

There are over 40 million games on Roblox. They were all built in a design program called Roblox Studio. This visual tool is easy for beginners to use, says one developer. She goes by the name of Beeism. "In Roblox Studio, I felt like making games was something I could do," she says. "I had no prior experience in gaming. It's really user-friendly."

Beeism uses Roblox Studio to make models and maps for games such as Egg Hunt and Demented Defense. She’s made fairy wings for avatars to wear, maps that look like pirate ships, and hundreds of other things. But that’s only part of making a game. To bring the games to life, developers use the coding language Lua. Roblox Studio is based on this language. The game code tells all the parts of the game how to behave when players interact with them.

About 30,000 new games are uploaded to Roblox every day. Many of them aren’t traditional games with a definite end point. Some, like Fashion Famous, are quick competitive games where players vote on a winner. In other games, like Binello’s MeepCity, there might not be a goal at all. Instead, players hang out and chat while designing homes, attending a virtual school, or even working at a pizza shop.

That versatility is what keeps developers like Beeism coming back to Roblox. “The possibility of endless possibilities—I can do anything,” she says. “I can make any world I want and be anything I want to be.”

Beeism uses Roblox Studio to make models and maps for her games. She's made fairy wings for characters to wear and maps that look like pirate ships. But that's only part of making a game. Developers also need to bring the images to life. To do that, they use a coding language called Lua. Roblox Studio is based on this language. The code tells the game how to change as players interact with it.

About 30,000 new games are added to Roblox every day. Many don't have a clear goal like traditional games do. Some, like Fashion Famous, are quick and competitive. Players vote on a winner at the end. Other games have no end at all. Binello's MeepCity is one example. Players hang out and chat during different virtual activities. They might design homes, attend an online school, or work at a pizza shop.

Beeism likes that there are so many options on Roblox. That's what keeps game makers like her coming back. "The possibility of endless possibilities—I can do anything," she says. "I can make any world I want and be anything I want to be."