The disturbing reality of violent and age-inappropriate games available on Roblox, revealed by a gaming expert
Key Findings
- Expert reveals five inappropriate Roblox games for children that parents should be aware of
- Examples of titles with insufficient age restrictions include Club Iris, Survive the Killer!, Baddies, Special Forces Simulator, and Combat Warrior
- Parents are urged to exercise caution when allowing children to use Roblox, and even supervise their play, to protect from explicit content and scammers
Roblox, the online video gaming platform offering hundreds of free games to kids, has come under fire several times, being accused of hosting age-inappropriate content. Overt violence, fountains of gore, and inappropriately sexual themes have all been raised as issues with the user-generated games on Roblox.
“Now, officials in Türkiye have gone further, banning Roblox over concerns the platform could lead to the abuse of children,” says Wai-Fai Cou of U4GM, an online marketplace for video gaming extras. “There are lots of games on the platform that aren’t age-appropriate, but these examples are some of the more popular games we’ve encountered that feature a variety of commonplace issues.”
Club Iris
Club Iris is a nightclub simulator where you can, according to the developers, ‘hang out and socialize with other players.’ With over 155.5 million visits, the game is extremely popular with Roblox members.
Users have also reported that moderation in Club Iris isn’t on the ball and that they’ve been approached by users sending them sexually explicit messages.
“The problem is that the game is supposedly suitable for ages 9 and up,” says Wai-Fai. “Would you let your 9-year-old go to a nightclub?”
Survive The Killer!
Another game that’s rated 9+ with disturbingly adult content is Survive The Killer. The premise is that one player is the killer who tries to murder the other players, who are all trying to survive.
“I’m sure no one needs to be told why games about murdering each other aren’t appropriate for 9-year-olds,” says Wai-Fai. “Survive The Killer is heavily based on a professionally published game called Dead By Daylight, which was rated 18+. The stark difference in ratings underscores parents’ concerns over age-inappropriate content being incorrectly included in games aimed at very young kids on Roblox.”
Baddies
With 3,750,906 ‘favorites’, Baddies is hugely popular on Roblox, but the game’s primary content is beating up other players and taking their money. The game features heavy bruising, crying blood, and the ability to beat other players up with nail-spiked baseball bats – and it’s again rated appropriate for 9+ years.
Special Forces Simulator
Perhaps even worse is this game, which is rated ‘All Ages’ but features heavy violence as the players take on the role of members of a SWAT team. The gameplay features heavy violence and arguably trivializes the very serious issue of police brutality.
“This is not the kind of game I would rate ‘all ages,’ yet Special Forces Simulator has 70.2 million visits on Roblox, so it’s clearly incredibly popular,” says Wai-Fai.
Combat Warriors
Well known as one of the most bloody games on the platform and described by its own developers as ‘a bloody and gory melee/ranged weapon fighting game’ is Combat Warriors.
With 2,189,401 favorites and over 1.1 billion visits, Combat Warriors is one of the most popular games on Roblox. It’s also rated 13+, which most don’t think is appropriate, given the level of violence in the game.
“If it were professionally released, this game would probably earn an 18+ rating,” Wai-Fai says. “So why is it allowed to be only 13+ on Roblox?”
Wai-Fai Cou from U4GM commented:
“Türkiye’s ban of Roblox reflects concerns parents have had about the platform for a long time,” says Wai-Fai. “Inappropriately sexual and violent content being freely available to kids and rated incorrectly is a major issue that has led many parents to ban Roblox completely. And other dangers are lurking on the platform.
“Chat games like ‘Club Iris’ and ‘Boys and Girls Dance Club!!’ are improperly moderated, with many users being approached by scammers. These criminals are looking to get people to give them in-game currency or get players to reveal their personal details so that they can gain access to their bank accounts (or their parents’) or commit identity fraud.
“Roblox’s potential to allow game developers to create new and inventive ideas and publish experimental games that would never get picked up by big publishers is admirable, but the lack of moderation and age-inappropriate content is a huge problem that the company urgently needs to solve.”
[ENDS]
Credit
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About U4GM
U4GM is a leading online marketplace that specializes in providing virtual currency, items, and services for a wide range of popular video games. With a focus on customer satisfaction, U4GM offers competitive pricing, instant delivery, and 24/7 customer support to ensure a seamless and secure shopping experience. The platform is trusted by gamers worldwide for its reliable and safe transactions, making it a go-to destination for in-game purchases.
Sources
Türkiye banning Roblox: Reuters.
Dead By Daylight’s 18+ rating: Official Game Website.
Information on Roblox’s safety: NSPCC.
Roblox Games Listed:
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
