Head of Roblox Studio: we give teenagers from slums the opportunity to earn money, not exploit them
Roblox has gained a reputation as a company that exploits children and teenagers by aggressively making money from them. The head of Roblox Studio Stefano Corazza does not agree with such accusations. In his opinion, the platform does more good than harm.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Corazza stated that Roblox has become a gift for young developers who can earn money thanks to it.
"You can say, 'Yes, we exploit children.' Or you can say: “We offer people anywhere in the world the opportunity to get a job and even profit.” Imagine that I am 15 years old and I live in the slums of Indonesia. Now just a laptop is enough for me to create something, earn money and provide for myself," explained Corazza.
The top manager added that teenagers do not feel exploited by Roblox.
"Our users are about 20 years old on average. But of course, there are also teenagers. We work with several teenagers, whose games are played by millions of people. [...]. They think, “Oh my God. This is the biggest gift of my life. I was able to create something, I got millions of users, I earned so much money that I can retire.” That's why I'm focusing more on the payments we make to developers every year, which are now approaching a billion dollars. This is a phenomenal amount," Corazza said.
It is noteworthy that at this point Roblox's PR manager intervened in the interview, who stressed that the vast majority of developers receiving payments from Roblox are over 18 years old.
Corazza also noted the educational value of Roblox. He pointed out that thanks to the platform, children and teenagers learn to program and can count on a good profession in the future.
In February 2024, Roblox received a lawsuit from a group of American parents who accused the company not only of exploiting children, but also of forming an addiction. Earlier, The Guardian and People Make Games, in particular, conducted their investigations on the situation on the platform.
