Roblox, the online game creation system once populated mostly by kids under 13, is adding a new 17+ category to account for its recent growth in adult players.
“17 to 24 year-olds are the fastest-growing group on Roblox, and in 2022, people over 17 made up 38% of our daily active users,” staff explained in a June 20 update post. “We’ve heard your feedback on wanting to be able to build experiences that feature more mature themes and storylines that appeal to older users.”
Roblox is already equipped to handle a number of surreal experiences. With its stubby characters and simple game creation system, users can make nearly anything they imagine, from stiff arm wrestling events, to Kardashian-level ostentatious wedding vlogs. Once, indie rock star Soccer Mommy did a concert in Roblox, and during it, multiple players hit me with their polished Roblox sedans.
Themes of love and death seem relatively “mature” for me, but regular Roblox players in the 17 to 24 category seem to want to go even more gritty and dark, Roblox’s update post suggests.
The social game’s existing 13+ category “may contain moderate violence, light realistic blood, moderate crude humor, and/or unplayable gambling content,” but the soon-to-be-released 17+ category will take things further with “intense violence, heavy realistic blood, moderate crude humor, romantic themes, unplayable gambling content, and/or the presence of alcohol.” That’s right. And/or the presence of alcohol.
To gain access to the possible presence of alcohol, adult users will need to submit a selfie and photo of their government-issued ID. But once they’re cleared, they still shouldn’t expect a free-for-all.
Cursing won’t be allowed at the category’s launch, though Roblox says it’s “exploring ways to enable it in the right context for future iterations.” Sexual content or nudity will never be allowed, nor will drug use. However, there might be a way around the latter—Roblox is permitting the depiction of red plastic cups, and no one could ever really say for sure if your cube avatar is sipping on Svedka or CBD soda. It’s the little things.
Roblox’s content changes will be rolling out in “the coming weeks,” it says, but only eligible users will be able to see it.