[badcc]

This % includes cost of all game server hosting, databases, memory stores, etc. even with millions of concurrents, app store fees, etc. All included in that number. Developer gets effectively pure profit for the sole cost of programming/designing a great game. Taught me how to program, & changed my entire future. Disclosure: My game is one of most popular on the platform.

[ygjb]

And that's a reasonable decision for an adult to make, and if they were targeting an adult developer community.

I don't think anyone objects to adults making that choice over say, using Unity or Unreal, and targeting other platforms.

In practice, explaining to my son who is growing into an avid developer why I won't a) help him build on Roblox, or b) fund his objectives of advertising and promoting his work in Roblox (by spending Roblox company scrip) on the platform has necessitated helping him to learn and understand what exploitation means and how to recognize it.

It's a learning experience for him, and a challenging issue for me as a technically proficient and financially literate parent who actually owns and run businesses related to intellectual property. It's got to be much more painful for parents who lack in any of those three areas.

[RussianCow]

Are you really suggesting that Roblox's cut should be lower purely because the target market is children? Why? If anything, the fact that a kid can code a game in a high-level environment and immediately start making money—without any of the normal challenges of setting up infrastructure, let alone marketing and discovery—is amazing, and a feat for which Roblox should definitely be rewarded.

In any case, what's the alternative? To teach your son how to build the game from scratch in Unity, spin up a server infrastructure that won't crumble with more than a few concurrent players (not to mention the cash required for this), figure out distribution, and then actually get people to find and play the game? That seems quite unreasonable for most children/parents.

If this were easy, a competitor would have come in and offered the same service with significantly lower fees.

[adgjlsfhk1]

The problem is that robolox essentially lies to kids (by omission) in an attempt to get free labor out of them.

[RussianCow]

Yes, I agree that the deception is a problem, although I admit I'm not well versed in the issue. (I'm watching the documentary linked elsewhere now.) But the original claim was that they were exploiting young developers by taking a big cut of revenues, which I disagree with.

[lolinder]

> And that's a reasonable decision for an adult to make, and if they were targeting an adult developer community.

If it's a reasonable decision for an adult to make because the trade-offs might be worth it, doesn't that mean that it would also be reasonable for a child to make the same decision for the same reason?

It's either exploitative or it isn't, the age of the developer doesn't alter the trade-offs involved.

[JauntyHatAngle]

No, because a child is not deemed to have the necessary faculties to make these decisions.

The question should not be posed to a child, that is the law for child labour, and why we do not have children gambling on roulette wheels.

[Forlien]

Western society says that some decisions are only able to be made by people who are old enough. If you think about other decisions like gambling at a casino, joining the army or purchasing alcohol, then it might help you understand where they're coming from.

[noobhacker]

Does your son have other alternatives to learn programming and make money other than Roblox?

If there are, then it's a great lesson about looking outside of one's immediate circumstance and striving towards something better.

[erwincoumans]

Very cool, the Jailbreak creator! Do such popular games earn enough to be able to retire? (although you wouldn't actually retire, since working is more fun)

[badcc]

Pretty darn cool hearing from you! But yes, you're correct on both points :)

[erwincoumans]

Congrats, I haven't made it that far yet, buy enjoy working anyway.