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Parents Guide to Roblox Programming 2021

What is Roblox?

Roblox is a fun platform on which many games can be made or played. Roblox is split into two different parts; Roblox and Roblox Studio. Roblox is where millions of people interact with thousands of games. These games could be simple platformers or a coin-collecting game with complex code.

What is Roblox Studio?

Roblox Studio is the development environment of Roblox. There are a few sample games to play within Roblox Studio and these games are there to give developers an idea of how to construct their games. When in Roblox Studio, a user has the option to make their own game, insert certain objects to make obstacles or something relative to the game, and finally to input code to add more functionality. After the user’s game is completed, (or even if they just want to test what they have so far) they have the option to run the game and use it just as any other player would. You even have the option to invite a team or helper to test out some other aspects of the game!

Is Roblox a single player or multiplayer game?

Roblox can be played with just you as the lone player or with your friends. If you want to play with your friends just ask for their Roblox username, go to their profile and if they have allowed people to join his/her game. you should be able to join their game and so can the rest of your friends.

How do you play Roblox?

On a computer you can use the “WASD” to move and turn, as well as the arrow keys. On a tablet, the left side of the screen has a move function in which you drag your finger over it to move and turn.

Is Roblox safe for my child?

A big part of Roblox is classic games like obstacle courses which are safe for kids. There are some animations where the player falls apart but this is not depicted in any violent way and appears as blocks breaking apart. There are some violent shooter games in Roblox but the majority of Roblox games are non-violent.

How is Roblox different from Minecraft?

Roblox is different from Minecraft because Minecraft is a sandbox game. A Roblox game could be anything from an endless runner game to a simple interactive question asker. Furthermore, Roblox actually gives you the option to make games while Minecraft makes the world and game for you. One similarity however is that both the platforms are three dimensional.

Here’s what Roblox looks like:

Here is what a Minecraft environment looks like:

What language do I need to code in to create Roblox games?

The coding language that Roblox Studio uses is called Lua. It is a very complex but powerful language. Lua is an entirely event based language, an example being to run something when a specific event happens. Roblox Studio has many built-in variables that can be changed through the game’s editor or through the code itself. There are also many types of instances you can create such as explosions. Here’s some sample Lua code so you can see what it looks like:

local dir = 1
local block = script.Parent
local pos = block.Position

local time = 1

while true do

	block.Position = block.Position + Vector3.new(1 * dir, 0, 0)
	wait(0.001)

	if (block.Position.X >= pos.X + 25) then
		dir = -1
	end

	if (block.Position.X <= pos.X - 25) then
		dir = 1
	end
	
end

What are some examples of cool games that Roblox-ers are fond of?

There are thousands of Roblox games such as Jailbreak, Adopt Me, and Work at Pizza Place each name implying what it is about. These are games that use very complex structures and even more complex code that gives the user an unforgettable experience.

For more information about Minecraft, read our Parents Guide to Minecraft Modding. See also our blogpost on creating your own Roblox game. You will also find our blogpost on Minecraft vs Roblox pertinent.