Video Game Tycoons

CJ Oyer discovered Roblox when he was 10 years old, and he was instantly hooked. The online platform offers millions of video games, including competitive, role-playing, and world-building games, that anyone can play for free. The coolest part? Most of these games were created by everyday people, including kids—not professional game designers.

Roblox is what’s known as a game engine. It’s a visual design tool that simplifies the process of creating video games so anyone can learn how to do it. The platform also helps users learn basic coding, or the process of writing instructions that a computer follows. Soon, Oyer was building his own games. His earliest creations allowed players to explore digital models of spaceships from the Star Trek TV shows and planets from Star Wars movies. “I could make these worlds a reality and share them with people,” says Oyer, who’s now 21. In 2016, Oyer created the popular game Superhero Life II. The build-your-own-hero game has now been played more than 121 million times.

Today, Roblox has more than 36 million daily users. Two million of them, like Oyer, also design games on the site. Many of these budding developers started designing games when they were young teens and tweens. Now they have turned their creations into big businesses, with some of them earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.

CJ Oyer discovered Roblox when he was 10 years old. Right away, he was hooked. The online platform offers millions of video games. They include competitive, role-playing, and world-building games. Anyone can play them for free. The coolest part? Most of these games weren’t created by professional game designers. Everyday people, including kids, created them.

Roblox is a game engine. This visual design tool makes it easier to create video games, so anyone can learn how to do it. The platform also teaches users basic coding. They learn how to write instructions that a computer follows. Soon, Oyer was building his own games. First, he created digital models of spaceships from the Star Trek TV shows and planets from Star Wars movies. Players could explore the models. “I could make these worlds a reality and share them with people,” says Oyer, who’s now 21. In 2016, Oyer created the popular game Superhero Life II. People have played this build-your-own-hero game more than 121 million times.

Roblox now has more than 36 million daily users. Like Oyer, 2 million of them also design games on the site. Many of them were young teens and tweens when they started designing games. Now they have turned their creations into big businesses. Some of them earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.

When Zachary started playing Roblox at age 10, one of his favorite games was Work at a Pizza Place, where players get to work in a pizza parlor. Inspired, Zachary started making his own creations. Eventually, he applied for an internship at Roblox. There, his work caught the attention of Dued1, the user who created Work at a Pizza Place. Dued1 hired Zachary as a 3-D artist.

Now 21, Zachary helps create the game’s graphics, the images and designs that make up objects, backgrounds, and maps. “Everything that you see visually, that’s my job,” he says. While Zachary works on how the game looks, Dued1 writes code to bring the game to life (see How to Build a Game).

In many Roblox games, players can buy upgrades, gadgets, and gear for their characters. To do this, players must first exchange real money for in-game currency called “Robux.” For every 100,000 Robux a game earns, its developers are paid $350. In 2020 alone, Roblox game designers earned $250 million from their creations.

Zachary started playing Roblox at age 10. One of his favorite games was Work at a Pizza Place. Its players get to work in a pizza parlor. Zachary was inspired to make his own creations. Later, he applied for an internship at Roblox. There, Dued1 noticed his work. That’s the user who created Work at a Pizza Place. Dued1 hired Zachary as a 3-D artist.

Zachary is now 21. He helps create the game’s graphics. These images and designs make up objects, backgrounds, and maps. “Everything that you see visually, that’s my job,” he says. Zachary works on the game’s appearance, and Dued1 writes code to bring the game to life (see How to Build a Game). 

Players can buy upgrades, gadgets, and gear for their characters in many Roblox games. First, players must exchange real money for in-game currency called “Robux.” Every time a game earns 100,000 Robux, its developers are paid $350. In 2020 alone, Roblox game designers earned $250 million from their creations.

The Roblox online community has grown dramatically since the gaming platform launched in 2006. And the number of kids visiting the platform has increased as they’ve been forced to stay at home more during the Covid-19 pandemic.

When the pandemic made it impossible for 12-year-old Garvey Mortley to participate in sports or band at her school in Bethesda, Maryland, she began spending even more time on the Roblox platform. She started making and selling virtual Black Lives Matter T-shirts for Roblox characters to wear. Garvey sees Roblox as an accessible way for all types of people from different backgrounds to create businesses based on their passions. And it’s not just about making money: “When you can create, you have freedom,” says Garvey.

The Roblox gaming platform got started in 2006. Since then, the Roblox online community has grown a great deal. During the Covid-19 pandemic, kids have been forced to stay at home more. So the number of kids visiting the platform has increased.

Because of the pandemic, 12-year-old Garvey Mortley couldn’t participate in sports or band at her school in Bethesda, Maryland. So she spent even more time on the Roblox platform. She started making and selling virtual Black Lives Matter T-shirts. Roblox characters could wear them. To Garvey, Roblox is a way for everyone to create businesses based on their interests. It’s open to all types of people from different backgrounds. And it’s not just about making money. “When you can create, you have freedom,” says Garvey.