Josh Gregory - How Roblox Was Made

Published in the United States of America by
Cherry Lake Publishing
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.cherrylakepublishing.com

Reading Adviser: Marla Conn MS, Ed., Literacy specialist, Read-Ability, Inc.
Photo Credits: Solis Images, 6; Supakorn Limteerayos, 10; Casimiro PT/Shutterstock, 12;
MS711/Shutterstock, 14, 16

Copyright 2021 by Cherry Lake Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means without written permission
from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Gregory, Josh, author.
Title: How roblox was made / by Josh Gregory.
Description: Ann Arbor, Michigan : Cherry Lake Publishing, 2020. | Series:
21st century skills innovation library | Includes bibliographical
references and index. | Audience: Grades 2-3 | Summary: Roblox is more
than just a video game. It is a platform where millions of players
create and share games with each other. With more than 40 million games
available now and thousands more being added every day, it offers
players a never ending source of fun and adventure. In this book,
readers will learn how Roblox created and how it has changed and grown
over the years. Includes table of contents, author biography, sidebars,
glossary, index, and informative backmatter Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020010213 | ISBN 9781534169722 (library binding) | ISBN
9781534171404 (paperback) | ISBN 9781534173248 (pdf) | ISBN
9781534175082 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Roblox (Computing platform)Juvenile literature. | Video
gamesJuvenile literature. | Fantasy gamesJuvenile literature.
Classification: LCC GV1469.35.R594 G744 2020 | DDC 794.8dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020010213

Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of the Partnership for 21st Century Learning,
a Network of Battelle for Kids. Please visit http://www.battelleforkids.org/networks/p21 for more information.

Printed in the United States of America
Corporate Graphics

Popular Around
the Planet

Do you play Roblox ? If not, you probably
know someone who does. Roblox is one of
the most popular games in the world. More
than 100 million people play it each month.
Together, these fans have spent more than
28 billion hours playing since 2008. Roblox
did not become this popular overnight. It
has taken years of hard work to build such
an amazing game. And Roblox continues
growing and changing even today!

Behind the Scenes

Like all video games, Roblox was created
by a team of talented people called
developers . The team included all
kinds of people. Some wrote code using
programming languages. Others created
the games three-dimensional (3D)
graphics and other artwork.

A Long Process

Developers dont just build a game all at once. They create
pieces and put them together. They test these pieces often and
make lots of changes along the way. A finished game can be very
different from the teams original plans!

Way Back When

The story of Roblox starts all the way
back in 1989. Developer David Baszucki
helped create a computer program
called Interactive Physics . This program
let students design physics experiments
and see the results on their computers.
Baszucki thought it was very important
for educational programs to be fun for
students. During the 1990s, he and his
team continued working on Interactive
Physics and other programs.

The First Version

In the early 2000s, Baszucki joined with a
developer named Erik Cassel to start a new
project. They wanted to create a program
that let students build their own video
games. It would teach game development
skills. But it would also be fun. The team
wanted it to be like playing with Lego
blocks or other building toys. They built a
prototype of their program in 2004.
They called it DynaBlocks .

Roblox Releases

Baszucki and Cassel decided that their
game needed a catchier name. They came
up with Roblox by combining robot with
blocks. They also continued working to
improve their original design. Finally, in
2006, they were ready to release Roblox to
the public. The first people to sign up were
testers, friends of the team, and other game
developers.

Word of Mouth

Word of Roblox s unique style soon began
to spread. More people started trying it out.
Because it was free to start playing, they
had nothing to lose. At first, there were only
a few games to play. But as more people
started using Roblox , the number of games
grew quickly.

Standing Out

Roblox isnt like a regular video game. Its like millions of games
in one. The variety it offers helps it stand out from other games.
Some fans play Roblox for years and years. They dont need any
other games!

New Versions

The developers have created several new
versions of Roblox over the years. Each one
has helped the games audience grow. For
example, 2012 saw the release of the iOS
version of Roblox . This allowed millions of
people to play Roblox on their smartphones
and tablets. Four years later, a virtual
reality version of Roblox was released for
the Oculus Rift. This let players get a closer
look than ever before at the Roblox
universe.

Playing a Part

Roblox s developers arent the only people
who have made the game what it is today.
Roblox relies on fan-made content to make
it fun. Without millions of people making
their own Roblox games, there would
be nothing to play. Creative Roblox fans
post more than 30,000 new games online
every day.

A Career in Roblox?

Some Roblox players have had huge success with their creations.
The creator of the popular Roblox game Jailbreak has earned
more than a million dollars for his work!

Work Never Ends

The Roblox team did not stop working after the
first version of their game came out. Theyll be
busy for as long as people keep playing
Roblox . They have to make sure the games
online services continue running smoothly.
They also regularly add new features and make
improvements to the game. This is just a normal
part of running a popular online game. The
developers are happy to keep coming up with
new ideas. Millions of Roblox fans around the
world will keep watching to find out what