Notes

Minecraft Vs. Roblox: how these Games Stack up for Kids

Minecraft and Roblox are hugely popular sandbox-style games. Both let you design games, play with other players, and of course, play for hours. They also each have supportive online communities that are ready to help. However, Minecraft and Roblox are actually quite different when you get into the nitty-gritty. Here's how they compare in five important factors.



THE CONTENDERS



Minecraft. Best for age 8+. It is an open, exploratory and creative environment that allows players to build and create things from scratch using materials they gather from the world.



Roblox. Recommended for people who are 13 or older. A game-creation site where users create and upload their own games, and also play other games in a multiplayer environment.



Price



Minecraft's initial cost is $26.95 for Mac and PC, and Roblox offers a "freemium/premium” model.



Roblox lets you play games and design the games you want to play for free, but you'll need to join to get access to the really fun stuff, such as customize your avatar, purchase and trade weapons, and develop additional games. Roblox's ingame currency Robux can be purchased as a 'la carte. However it's worth signing up for the Builders Club ($5.95 per month), which removes ads, allows you to manage more games and gives you daily Robux.



User-Friendliness



Both are difficult, but that's the point of the game's distinct fun. Minecraft has no instruction, but offers three levels of difficulty. It is possible to learn how to play Minecraft by exploring and experimenting or by watching YouTube videos and reading other fan-created content (there is a lot of it online).



Roblox provides two modes of play: playing and creating. Although it offers lots of choices, it can also be frustrating as the games are created by users. For children who are keen on creating their own games, Roblox offers a lot of help as well as a wiki and an active community of players.



Social Aspects



This is the biggest wildcard. Both games support multiplayer play, however, Minecraft is better suited to solo play. Roblox, on the other hand, is social from the moment you sign up. Friendship and chatting are key elements of the game. Check out our guidelines on social media for elementary school-aged kids. Minecraft servers Roblox and Minecraft both feature a large amount of user-generated content. Players of all age groups, including teens participate and compete in the game. With any user-generated content your child may be exposed to explicit sexually explicit imagery, language and even violence. You can manage some of these through Roblox's built-in controls. Roblox allows you to disable chat and block individuals. Minecraft lets you "ignorethe other players, but it doesn't limit what you can say.



Safety



There have been instances of inappropriate predatory behavior in multiplayer and chat modes. Roblox has stepped up its child safety program to include parental control, human moderators and other features to catch offenders. Since Minecraft can be played solo or with a select group of friends, interactions with strangers is severely restricted. If your child wishes to play on a server that is open to the public, make sure it's child-friendly.



Kid-Friendliness



Roblox and Minecraft have large online followings. This means that children can access a lot more content, such as YouTube videos, wikis, and Reddit forums, which can expose them to more mature topics while searching for information about the games. Roblox allows users to integrate ads into their games, this means that children are exposed to the in-game advertising. Violence can be an issue in both games, but while Roblox's user-uploaded games tend to be more of the shooter/explosion/disaster variety, Minecraft's leans more toward hand-to-hand combat, even though it's depicted in a cartoonish way.



Creativity and learning



Yes! Both games can teach basics of computer programming (Minecraft uses an adaptation of Minecraft to Java and Roblox uses the Lua programming language), though Minecraft has the advantage in the sense of being education-friendly. Both games foster math skills and reasoning, problem-solving , and collaboration. Because of the digital content you can create as well as the interaction with other gamers Both games are becoming more popular in after-school programs, computer camps, and teacher's lesson plans.



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