Lessons from my 12-year old

Anyone with a child in 2022 has likely heard of Roblox, one of the most popular ways to spend time online today. For those who haven’t come across Roblox, here is a quick primer.

‘A global platform that brings people together through play', Roblox is a multi user affair. Enticing experiences are offered through an endless series of perpetual 3D worlds where players socialise, contribute to content and party together. People are engaging in these experiences en masse to the tune of 213 million daily active users in March 2022.

All this to say, since some time in 2006 when Roblox officially launched, people have been free-roaming the metaverse from their mobiles, laptops, console platforms and through VR headsets.

Meet mates virtually

With more than half of all kids in the USA under age 16 on Roblox, this is not a space exclusive to the brainy bunch, skaters, or any other clique - users come together to hang out from over 180 countries to seek out their tribe and make like-minded friends (depending upon privacy settings) as well as catch-up with those they already know. It is essentially junior networking and it's open to any and all. As a parent this is kinda terrifying and reasonably problematic, but as a proof point for the viability of the tech it's undeniably impressive.

Dedicated spaces see birthday parties celebrated virtually, with online versions of hide-and-seek, paintball, and obstacle courses played as a group. All the prerequisite party chaos, sans mess. Whether it is a planned ‘gathering' or a chance encounter, players feel the impact of shared experiences that sometimes only an unstructured roam around with friends can offer.

Brands and bands are following

An entire economy has sprung up on Roblox where an in-game currency called Robux can be earned, purchased and spent within the experience, as well as converted back into real-world currency. As players part with their cash (real or digital) on the online forum, brands are realising the opportunity to reach their target market. With user spending having hit $308 million by Q3 2020, an opportunity emerged that was too good not to leverage. The last two years have seen marketing dollars reallocated from channels traditional to days of yore to be repurposed on the platform.

Across fashion, music and more, brands are engaging their core demographic within Roblox. In November 2020, Lil Nas X garnered an audience of more than 33 million across four shows on the platform and with deals penned between Roblox and both Sony and BMG, there are likely to be many virtual concerts ahead.

The stickiest experiences going

The engaging nature of Roblox, with its always-on offering means that there is a perpetual lure to captivating on-demand, self-directed experiences within the platform. The added attraction of scheduled reveals, awards shows and events makes time in Roblox utterly absorbing.

In the last few months, we’ve watched the media unpack the impact the metaverse will have on life, work and consumer behaviour. My son is the first one to remind me, the metaverse exists now. It feels natural and eye-rollingly obvious to his generation. But a growing number of people and brands are catching on (or catching up) and I am thrilled to be able to help customers access all of the goodness without the pain. I don't even mind when Oscar's mates call me the Metaverse Mum.