Every day, more than 65 million users log on to Roblox to play games and chat with their friends—in seemingly endless modes like designing a theme park, racing cars, or role-playing simulators.
But more often than not, users of the popular game platform are learning as they play. Individuals are gaining knowledge about coding, aerospace, and biomedical engineering, as well as even 3D design. Not to mention other skills like problem solving, creative reasoning, and teamwork.
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This “democratization” of education, whereby giving individuals growing access to learning in new and creative ways is part of the mission of Roblox’s founder and CEO David Baszucki.
He says millions of young people have been motivated to further explore subjects like STEM, art, and design after learning on Roblox. This is thanks in part to the company’s multimillion dollar investment in its Roblox Community Fund. A new $15 million commitment brings a total of $25 million to providing grants to educational organizations that leverage Roblox to create relevant and rigorous curriculum and experiences.
“We believe there’s a rich set of skills students can develop by way of their enthusiasm for working environments on Roblox that should parlay to really exciting opportunities for them in their early careers,” Baszucki tells Fortune.
Thus far, the fund has been used to partner with the Museum of Science, Boston and NASA in creating a virtual experience of what it’s like to become an astronaut in space and on Mars.
Roblox has also partnered with CodeCombat to create an immersive gaming experience that allows you to learn how to code along users’ adventures with their pets.
“Learning to code on an immersive platform like Roblox is really fun and motivating. And when young people are making their own creations. They love to share them. They love to see what other people have done,” Baszucki tells Fortune.
And this week, the launch of RoboCo Sports League is going to bring a sandbox robotics experience to everyone, just not schools with the capacity for a robotics club, Baszucki says. Users will be able to gain skills in mechanical engineering and mathematics as they undergo design and problem-solving processes.
“It’s really exciting to us that for those young people who are learning STEM through constructing robots and programming those robots—we’re able to extend the inclusivity of who can do that,” he notes.
Overall, these experiences build on what Roblox sees as part of the future of education: immersion and interactivity.
“We’re really excited about the Roblox Community Fund as a catalyst for these kinds of projects that really check all the boxes: they’re rigorous, they’re standards aligned, they motivate deep thinking, they expand and push the boundaries of what students are able to do,” says Rebecca Kantar, head of education at Roblox. “And they take good advantage of a 3D multiplayer interactive environment.”
Learning is the playing
Moreover, helping to create experiences across all grade levels and subject areas is part of the fund’s goal, says Kantar.
“We’re rigorous in making sure that all of our partners have thought through not just what are you going to build, but how is it going to be used? How does it fit into what educators are already working on if it’s intended for in school use,” she notes.
Additionally, Roblox is seeking to help users navigate the realities of life by addressing topics like social emotional learning, mental health, and wellness.
“You could imagine that Roblox as a place that can facilitate any type of digital experience— doesn’t just have to be a game— could be a valuable tool for those who are working on building resilience or growth mindset skills, for those who are overcoming grief,” Kantar adds.
Overall, the engagements will focus on intertwining learning objectives within the core gaming experience.
Outside of the community fund, other companies have also taken notice of the success and popularity of Roblox and created their own gaming opportunities.
Users can flip their own Chipotle burritos, rock new Nike gear, or even flip hotcakes with Fidelity’s Pancake Empire Tower Tycoon.
“It’s an exciting example of someone just noticing that Roblox is becoming a destination for high quality learning content, and seeing the opportunity to help bring a new domain of learning to the platform where we didn’t already have outstanding coverage,” Kantar says.
The future of online learning
According to Roblox, 44% of its users are under the age of 13, but those aged 17 to 24 are the platform’s fastest growing demographic.
So, with users across the age spectrum, questions about safety and privacy are likely top of mind for parents—especially with younger generations finding themselves reliant on technology.
But with a rise in popularity of new tech like AI, Baszucki says building a platform founded on principles of civility and safety won’t change on Roblox. But, he adds, AI has the ability to transform learning and communication.
For example, one may be able to easily interact with users who speak other languages or be immersed in historical contexts.
“One might imagine educational experiences where we maybe go to ancient Rome together, but in addition, when we go to ancient Rome, we can talk to the people of ancient Rome and, that driven by large language models and interesting foundational models, it starts to become natural to interact and learn with representations driven by intelligence,” Baszucki says. “I think there’s amazing capabilities on that side.”
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