The Roblox Digital Civility Curriculum And How Children Can Stay Safe And Learn Online.

Roblox Sandbox Game vs Minecraft

As the Covid-19 pandemic hit hard, the world went into hibernation. With everything closed down and lockdowns imposed around almost all major countries, people were stuck at home. One question lingers on everyone’s mind. Amongst the parents of young kids, we ask ourselves. What to do? Can all screen time be considered “wasted”? Or can screen time, perhaps with education technology or gamification, actually help kids learn?

Children who should be in school learning and developing life skills are instead in physical and social isolation. How so? With parents and kids homebound, classes shifted from physical to virtual. This presented a whole new challenge. The challenge centers around balance. Is there something that can be done to protect children on the internet? And helps them learn at the same time?

When it comes to addressing the digital citizenship, safety, and educational well being of its users, Roblox is the pioneer. Roblox, as in the leader in sandbox games for kids 12 and under.

What is Roblox?

Roblox is an online game platform and game creation system. Released in 2006, the platform gives young minds an outlet to try out making video games. Just like consumer insights in video game careers, Roblox lets other online users to test out a creator’s game and provide feedback.

Like Instagram for Millennials, or Tiktok for Generation Z, Roblox enables social creation and sharing with friends and strangers, with arguably better built in monetization for everyday creators.

A blue and red neon sign on a brick wall that reads: GENERATION Z

Founded in 2006, Roblox gained much rocket-propelled popularity after 2010. How exactly? When young gamers realized Roblox’s ease of use, allowing them to start making video games and share them with friends and strangers. Roblox currently hosts about 150 million monthly active users and is growing exponentially. In my humble opinion, Roblox is so much more than a game. It is the user generated content and self expression platform of the future.

Like Other Emerging Easy to Use Game Engines like Manticore, Roblox Does So with Young Gamers and Creators.

Roblox is known for its user-friendly interface. Rather than code-based, the Roblox Studio applications is a simple drag and drop running on the programming language called “Lua.” This language is an equalizer. Lua allows people with great game ideas but little programming skills to bring their games to life. Some have even described the Roblox studio app as a more accessible and friendly version of Unity, the famous game developing software. Think game development for newbies.

Roblox Gives Kids Exposure to Video Game Development in a Digestible Safe Environment

Roblox is a great way to get started if you are someone who is considering pursuing a video game career. It is a stepping stone of realizing what you need to create a good concept and executing it on a platform where people can play and review your games.

Roblox tends to attract users who are very young, mainly kids 9-15. It is a great platform to introduce new ways of learning to a generation who has seen the most pervasive, visible form of human hibernation in recent history. Roblox is an excellent way for kids to play open-ended games and even create them as they learn, opening up a new path for a video game career. Recently Roblox introduced digital civility curriculum, allowing kids anywhere to learn through creation and play.

Roblox Digital Civility Curriculum

Its audience? Positively snowballing. Roblox’s response? It ideated a Digital Civility Curriculum for its users. Its objectives? Two prongs really. First, to foster safe, positive, and productive online experiences for young users. Second, to encourage healthy discussion among students to find an optimal solution to answer the above question. Simply, how precisely can the Internet become a more suitable and safe place for all users and developers?

The curriculum follows a design style that allows students to develop their skills regarding the fields of animation, 3-D modeling, and coding. The course will integrate learning and development with kids and teens who will be going back to online learning this fall.

The course comprises six online lessons spanning from 45-60 minutes, will also include a game created in Roblox studio called Digital Safety Scavenger Hunt. It is mainly used to teach kids the difference between reliable and unreliable information available online these days. This is something a lot of adults of today can also use.

Roblox is becoming an integral part of education technology today, which will not only teach kids to explore their creative side but is a great way to introduce and develop STEM-based learning at an early age.

The Course

1. Intro to Roblox

The beginning of the course allows children to learn digital safety tips when online. The next part required every student to create an obstacle course in Roblox Studio, which can be played by other students.

The objectives of this lesson:

Highlight differences between personal and private information.
How to identify unreliable information if presented in a game.
Altering 3-D parts to create an obstacle course (an intro to making video games.)

Lesson overview

A 5 minutes introduction to let the students know what they will be learning through the course.
A 10 minutes intro to digital safety guided tutorial introducing concepts like protection of privacy and finding reliable information online.
A 15 minutes play of the obstacle course helping identify unreliable and reliable information online.
A 25 minutes introduction to Roblox studio, teaching the basics, and helping students create a simple one on their own.
A 5 minutes recap of what was learned in the lesson.

2. Being a Digital Citizen

Learn how to contribute to online communities and confront cyberbullying positively. Then, work on the obstacle course and get feedback from peers.

This lesson is something that is very important for all young minds that are on the internet today. For kids who want to make use of education technology and learn from their peers and from observation, the lesson will teach them how they can positively contribute to online communities.

A critical factor of the lesson is also how to confront cyberbullying. The latter part of the lesson will focus on working on the obstacle course and getting feedback from peers.

Lesson Overview

A 5 minutes introduction of the project and lesson structure.
A 15 minutes discussion on ways to be a positive member of the online community and how to address cyberbullying.
10 minutes to adjust the layout or look of the obstacle course.
10 minutes to play a peers’ obstacle course and give feedback while setting a goal to change things from the feedback received on their own obstacle course.
5 minutes recap of the lesson and concepts learned.

3. Lights and Polish

This lesson is all about personalizing your obstacle course using special effects (Lights) and effectively implementing improvements through feedback(Polish).

Lesson Overview

5 minutes introduction to project and lesson structure.
15 minutes for implementing changes based on the feedback received.
5 minutes to use post-processing effects to demonstrate the importance of how special effects can drastically change the look of a game.
30 minutes to work on the obstacle course, from changing layouts to further improving previously made changes and applying special effects.
5-minute recap of the lesson.

4. Coding Fundamentals

If you’ve had a child who has shown interest in knowing more about video game jobs, this lesson especially will be something that will boost their confidence in terms of learning how to code and program a simple game.

The lesson will explore the basic fundamentals of coding concepts such as loops, functions, if/or/then statements. It will also include mini-projects that can be added to games such as color-changing consoles/platforms and traps.

Lesson Overview

5 minutes to introduce what is to be learned in the lesson.
20 minutes to learn how to work with properties and modifying color properties of parts using scripts.
35 minutes to teach how to code a trap using if/or/then statements.
5 minutes for lesson recap.

5. Character Animation

This lesson will teach the students how to animate a 3-D figure into a unique walk animation. This will allow them to personalize the game further by adding a unique touch of their own into the overall look and feel.

Lesson Overview

5 minutes to introduce the lesson.
5 minutes to brainstorm and plan a simple animation.
25 minutes to learn how to use the animation editor to create a simple animation.
10 minutes to learn how to use scripts to add the new animation walk in the obstacle course.
15 minutes to receive feedback from a peer to improve the animation.

6. Finishing Projects and Share

This is the final lesson where students will be allowed to make final preparations and add touches to the game, which will then be showcased and shared among peers and others to play. For young creators gaming enthusiasts? This is the end goal.

Not only can young creators share their finished or even still in-development games with others, there is another sweetener. Those 13 and over can sell in-game items for Roblox’s virtual currency Robux. Add that to Roblox’s discoverability by over 100 million players? Now you’ve got an user-generated platform that allows expression – and market testing – by kids! Without traditional offline consumer insights and market research.

Lesson Overview

5 minutes introduction to the project and lesson structure.
45 minutes to make all final changes to the game.
10 minutes to wrap and recap the week and showcase student projects.

A brilliant idea, Roblox’s Digital Civility Curriculum lets young people learn digital citizenship, online safety, data integrity and creating learning opportunities for others.

So what’s the verdict? Two thumbs up. The Digital Civility Curriculum is an excellent way for kids to learn:

Online Safety – What it means to be a digital citizen who knows how to protect themselves against unreliable information
STEM Fundamentals – Basics of programming
Sharing Digital Citizenship – Using the information they gather here to create other learning opportunities, benefit others.

Roblox Is No “Learn Once, Over and Done”

The simple obstacle course design featured here is something that can be molded into different areas of study for young people, and a different obstacle course or a game can be created for various subjects for kids to continue learning and creating.

Roblox Provides Meaningful Learning through Fun: Education + Entertainment

For parents who are always worried about their children not learning much from their constant connection to online games, Roblox can be a massive change in the way online gaming is perceived.

Teachers, with the help of students, can design their own curriculums for classrooms on Roblox

It can be a fun and interactive way for kids to learn new things and new concepts. For kids who want to learn about making video games, Roblox presents a fantastic opportunity to provide a stepping stone that can help them get the essential information they need to enter a world where they can create and share freely. Whether that game environment is a futuristic Sci-Fi world, or a retro throwback reboot of something like ET or Avatar, only the creator’s imagination can decide.

Working at a Pizza Place Roblox user generated content UGC making video games

Below are just a few examples of the most popular games on Roblox. Yes, created by gamers and creators on the platform.

Theme Park Tycoon Roblox user generated content UGC making video games

Roblox has provided a considerable service in the field of education technology and is going to further improve the way STEM studies are evolving these days. If your child has shown an interest in STEM or making video games, the Digital Civility Curriculum by Roblox is a fantastic way to set them on the right path. Kudos Roblox. And here’s to the future of the video game industry. Bravo.

Video Game Jobs and Careers

If I only got a nickel… A former Head of Marketing and Brand Director for an AAA publisher and indie game developer, I’m asked these questions a LOT. In short, what kind of video game jobs exist? And can ANY of these become long-term video game careers? Here are the top FAQs I hear and answer… Sometimes over and over and over again.

Do you get to play games all day?
Do people really pay you money to do video game marketing?
What kind of jobs exist in video games?

Without ado, let us address these one by one.

Do you get to play games all day?

Short answer: NO. Yes, I played a lot of games and still do. But realistically I worked twelve hour days, with about one hour for playing. As a Brand Director working on strategy and RPG games at an AAA publisher, I did play a TON of games. That said, I was and am still paid handsomely to do two things:

Build Brand Awareness and Positive Trial and Play Intent

First and foremost, I rarely got to choose which games I played. This might come as a shocker. But in order to build brand awareness and positive consideration for my video games, I needed to first understand my competition. Know thy enemy, they say. So when I was working on a MMORPG, I played a lot of competitor’s games that were (you guessed it) MMORPG’s.

Take for example, I was working on an Open World MMORPG with fantasy characters. To understand my competition, I played a LOT of similar games. The process looks roughly like this.

Identify My Targets.

I would identify a range of MMORPG’s with an Open World or Sandbox style of play. A portfolio of competitors? For our example let us sat the closest competitor is Black Desert Mobile.

App Store keyword search for Black Desert Mobile ASO video game marketing video game careers

Finding Comparable Competitors.

If my game were on iOS, I could easily do a Keyword search for “Black Desert Mobile.” The first 6 to 10 results would mostly fit the bill. These could range from Evil Lands: MMORPG and Perfect World Mobile to Lineage 2.

App Store Search auto Recommendation ASO You Might Also Like video game careers video game marketing

Consider the Recommendations.

Both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store have powerful engines. Engines would recommend “You Might Also Like” After taking a quick look at their App Store descriptions, I can decide. Let the App Store Optimization and consumer insights lead. Whether to include them in my analysis and tracking. Or Not.

So technically the answer is Yes and No. Yes, I got to play a lot of games. Admittedly these are not all games of my personal choosing. Rather they are directly comparable and competitive to the games I marketed.

When playing these games, what do I do? I pay special attention to a few factors. In particular Discoverability, Pricing, Paid Media Strategy, and User Generated Content.

Discoverability: How are these games promoted? Namely how are they marketed organically via App Store Optimization.

Video Game Pricing: Are these games all priced FREE with purchasable In-App Purchases? Is there a Subscription component via Apple Arcade perhaps

Paid Media Strategy: Does a particular competitor rely 100% on Organic App Store Featuring? Alternately where do their ads show up? And what do they look like? Also, how have they evolved over time?

User Generated Content: User-generated content (UGC) is a critical part of a game’s marketing. How does a competitor’s game or app allow players and customers to express themselves? What about showing off a new Level-Up, or unique gear or costume?

Black Desert Mobile App Store Rating and Review user-generated content UGC video game jobs and video game careers

Create a Large Funnel of High-Quality Players

To create a large funnel of players, I look to two main sources. First, organic avenues such as App Store Optimization (ASO) and App Store/Google Play Store featuring. To a mobile marketer like me, well-executed ASO or App Store Featuring is like Manna from Heaven. Take a look at the below example if you’re not convinced.

Apple App Store Feature video game marketing video game jobs and video game careers — Apple App Store Featuring Organic discovery video game marketing video game jobs and video game careers

Do people really pay you money to do video game marketing?

Yes, they DO. Without going into much details, video game marketing and video game publishing are highly performance-based. If my efforts can result in App Store featuring and partner marketing, then a developer-publisher has no problem paying for my services.

Say for example I launch a video game marketing campaign. Let’s further say that results in a 1-week Editor’s Choice featuring on the App Store in the Racing category. The value of one week of featuring, you ask? For a genre like Racing, it could literally mean 5 to 10 million organic downloads or installs. That the developer got for FREE. Had it had to pay for it via Facebook or Google UAC? Most likely would have cost $2 per download+ .

It follows that the equivalent “Media Value” is between $10 million and $20 million dollars. So that explains why standout video game marketing professionals command healthy compensations. Go Marketing!

What kind of jobs exist in video games?

In short, there are a LOT of jobs in video games. But do you need a college degree and applicable experiences? Most of the time, Yes.

These jobs can range broadly. To better explain the KINDS of video game jobs that exist, I like to use an analogy. Three major classes of characters exist in Dungeons and Dragons and countless RPGs thereafter. There are the races of Mage (or Wizard), the Warrior, and the Rogue.

Simply I think of the video game careers in these simple terms:

The Mage (the Makers of Video Games and Game Content)

The Mage as I like to call them are…the select chosen ones. The ones paid handsomely to make video games. These are the Producers, Product Managers, Engineers, Artists, Illustrators, Game Designers, Writers, and Video Game Testers whose jobs are to create fun, engaging video game content. Easy job? Hardly. They balance their own personalities and creativities, with the needs and demands of the video game they work on. The end goal isn’t to create games THEY love. Rather it is to create games that GAMERS would love, and pay for. Period, end of story.

The Warrior (the Athletes who Compete for Our Entertainment)

The competitive gamers are the athletes of our industry. They compete in live-streamed tournaments either in large, overcrowded arenas. Or they compete in front of their PCs in the comfort of their own homes. Premier athletes like Lebron James and Lionel Messe are paid handsomely to perform superhuman feats of athleticism. So too are these competitive gamers. Just as there are NBA GOATS and NFL GOATS, so too do we have Call of Duty GOATs and LoL Goats. For good reasons.

The Rogue (the Professionals, Consultants, and Agencies that Do the Rest)

Last but not least come the Rogues. I call them the Rogues, because they are frequently overlooked. As the state of the video game industry has evolved, the demand for outsourced marketing, design, development, testing, localization has only increased, not decreased.

These professionals often work outside the game studios. Yet their contributions are felt deep and wide. Why? They fill a range of roles, to do what the game teams can not compete or execute on its own.

Like the Navy Seal Team 6, the Rogues must be versatile. They (we) fill a range of functions. These include Consumer Insights (to test the concept of games before they created, and again to ensure gameplay meets the standard of quality for gamers worldwide.)

These also include Creative and Media Agencies. Should the game team run out of artist and illustrator resources before shipping an Alpha or Beta? The Creative and Media Agencies say “Sir, Yes, Sir” and get it done. On budget, one time.

To get the game fully localized into French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese? With four weeks remaining for all the caption, dialog, packaging, web copy, ad copy, and more? The Localization agency has it covered.

Is the game team launching a game onto a new platform like the Playstation 5? What if the game team doesn’t have the in-house experts to create the Paid and Organic marketing activations? Let the external marketing agencies and consultants handle the learning curve, and deliver the performance promised.

The next time you wonder what types of video game careers exist, just think of the trio of the Mage, the Warrior, and the Rogue.

Hopefully this post gave you a sense of the types of video game jobs and long-term video game careers that exist. And NO, the Mage, the Warrior, and the Rogue are not just terminology used by the nerds. Rather, think about the brains and hard work that’s gone into making your favorite video game titles. Consider also the competitive eSports gamers. The professional athletes who must train six to seven days a week, ten+ hours a day, to put on exhilarating competitions. For you, EVERYTIME. And last but not least, the unspoken agencies, consultants, researchers, and marketers who bring it all to you.

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