Back in the day when yours truly was in grade school, one would spend the weekend and vacation breaks playing with friends. Outside. This was the time when one had a box (or cabinet) for toys and other important kid stuff and would bring them out to play with the gang whether it was racing matchbox or playing actual FPS around the neighborhood or simply boom! you're it! and have a great time until your older sibling or parents comes out to pull you home. Go home and wash your hands...you can still hear it after all these years.

Today's generation of kids is different. Well, the majority are since there were still a few who clung to the old ways until the Pandemic made sure it was a thing of the past. With the availability of electronic computing and communications devices (whether in desktop or mobile form), kids at home now have access to a wide world of play without the need to even get out of the house. This is of course good and bad but that's for another topic as we will focus here on an online gaming social media platform that has taken the majority of Kids (not only in the US but worldwide) by storm. This gaming platform is of course no other than Roblox.

Roblox as it is known today was initially released on the PC in 1989 as a way to demonstrate the principles of physics using blocks. The program was continually developed and updated by its creators David Baszucki and Erik Cassel through the years into a multi-user online platform where people could interact and play games together. By 2004, the platform was called Dynablocks. The platform's popularity continued to evolve into a massive multi-player online gaming and creation site that by 2006 the official name was changed to RŌBLOX ( simply because it was easier to remember and jived well with the users).

Through the years, the Roblox platform grew. There were so many things that could be done in Roblox and this attracted more people into getting involved with it. One of its biggest competitors though was Minecraft but the latter was more of a building and questing game while Roblox seemed to focus more on the social aspect of gaming. Today, Roblox is owned and operated by the Roblox Corporation and run by David Baszucki. This is because his co-creator and friend Erik Cassel sadly died in 2013 due to cancer leaving Baszucki to carry on to make Roblox the awesome online platform that it is today.

At present at its height of popularity, Roblox's majority population are kids. The platform has around 120 million active monthly players and most of these are almost half of the kids and early teens in the US all the way up to 16 years old. Of course, not everyone involved with Roblox are kids as there are the developers who make actual money by creating games for the platform as well as trading or selling other extras like customization options for the player’s avatar and other game features. Also, there are YouTubers and vloggers who use the platform to create their monetized content via advertising online. The Roblox platform is populated by so many interesting people and things they do which actually acts as a magnet to the very young who (at this point of quarantine from the global pandemic) are looking for attention and someone to play with. The majority of kids are sociable people and need to interact and make friends with their fellow kids in one way or the other.

If one would look closely at the platform, one would notice the features of it that act as points of attraction to children and young teens. The strongest would probably be the Lego-like blocky characters that can be customized to one's heart's content to look as blocky or as cool as can be. Children usually start by playing with Lego blocks, building these building that. The blocky and wacky characters on screen make it easier for them to move from one medium to the other and retain their continuity of having fun. Also, the customization option gives them freedom of creativity and a means to express themselves in a friendly adventurous environment.

Then, there is the availability of different games and environments. These keep the kids coming back as young people are naturally inquisitive. They want to see something new or meet someone interesting. They want new challenges and to win and overcome them (no matter how it gets frustrating for a lot of them).

With that, they are able to form communities and make friends and ask for followers. Aside from just playing games, many kids have this notion that the more online friends or followers you have the higher one's social value in the global perspective. So they start to pester or spam everyone they meet online to add to their friend's list and it soon becomes a pastime for them. Kind of like collecting cards in the old days.

Another thing that keeps the children coming back to the platform is to hunt down the famous and interesting people there. Getting a chance for one's avatar to get shown in a YouTube content video or simply saying/showing that they know the person is already something big for them. It is social media and social-climbing even for the young seems to be the common norm.

As the platform is populated by people who mostly are kids, it ends up as a huge reservoir or resource for attention seekers. Being quarantined at home can drive a child nuts and the platform somehow provides them with an alternative attention base for their psychological needs. If the kid is not able to get attention at home, they are able to get it online by playing these social media games and chatting with others like them.

Unfortunately, not all kids are nice and friendly. Some kids will always be bullies, complainers, or trash talkers depending on their psychological deficiencies and needs. There are after all kids who love to be mean to others to hide their own insecurities and glaring defects and sadly, the Roblox platform attract these sort as well. It gives them a vast crowd of friendly and attention needing kids their age to pick upon and spew their venom on. Therefore young players, as well as parents, need to be aware of kids like this.

Finally, there are a few things about the Roblox Platform one has to consider especially if one is a parent. To begin with, the platform though free to join and play is heavily monetized. A lot of game developers earn using Roblox and that will mean that certain items, features, or games may cost. The platform uses Robux as its in-game currency which translates into real money as it can be bought, sold, or converted to real cash. This of course is part of how the platform earns and keeps afloat as many other online games and social gaming platforms are doing the same thing (Minecraft included).

Because money and children are involved, there is always the possibility of the Big Bad Wolves lurking about with huge eyes and teeth to better see and chew the innocent Little Red Riding Hoods coming for a visit. To this, Roblox strictly follows the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. This gives the child's parents the ability, access, and right to set the user security settings to either allow or restrict the online communications when playing the games or just simply being on the platform. Furthermore, based on the age of the user, the platform will restrict access to certain games and forms of interactions in order to protect the very young from unwanted incidents or exploitation by other players.

Whatever the reason, kids love the Roblox platform. They can be anyone they want to be courtesy of the game and their avatar. They can explore worlds and let their imagination run free. They can compete with one another or play as a team on a quest the way kids running around the neighborhood (be it in a busy city or nature-filled country) used to do. Thus said, the possibilities for kids in Roblox are endless.