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Category: Roblox

2023 ASEAN Roblox Game Development Organizer Wrapped

The annual ASEAN Roblox Game Development Competition aims to challenge young coders from across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia as they delve into the world of Roblox Studio and create their science-inspired games. This annual competition seeks to recognize young talents in the realm of Roblox game development and Lua coding.

Notably, this year marked the first time the competition was conducted in a hybrid setting: physically in Singapore and online in Malaysia and Indonesia. The event drew over 70 participants from these countries, making it a truly engaging experience. Students were tasked with creating a Roblox game with an animal theme, aiming to educate users about animal-related concepts. Today, we interviewed Sherine, the main organizer of our annual Roblox competition:

Hi Sherine, could you tell us more about yourself and your role in Empire Code?

Hi everyone! I graduated from NUS Life Sciences & Psychology and am currently in the Marketing department at Empire Code. Apart from marketing, I organize Empire Code’s annual competitions and consult parents & students for DSA applications. Having started as a part-time sales assistant during my last semester at university, I decided to work full-time here due to the joy and fulfillment I find in contributing to a child’s learning journey. Moreover, in today’s digital era, coding is the digital literacy, and I believe students should be equipped with basic technology proficiency for the future.

What is your perspective on kids learning coding through Roblox?

At Empire Code, Roblox (and Minecraft) are among our most popular modules. Initially skeptical about kids learning coding through gaming, I was amazed at the innovative idea of introducing coding through something they enjoy. Roblox Studio, the game development platform, allows kids to learn coding concepts they’ll later encounter in Python or other advanced coding languages. Seeing immediate results in their game reinforces logical and computational thinking, which are crucial skills for the future.

Why did you decide to hold the annual ASEAN Roblox Game Development Competition?

I see it as a way to give back to the community. Kids invest hours in learning to create their own game, and a competition lets them apply these skills, showcasing their work to others. Competing builds confidence, sportsmanship, problem-solving skills, and creativity. The three-hour time constraint emphasizes efficient game development, encouraging students to consider various aspects beyond aesthetics, such as storylines, user experience, and interfaces.

What was your experience organizing the Roblox Competition?

I also organized the online ASEAN Roblox Competition last year, but this year, it was the first hybrid competition – physical for Singapore students and online for Malaysian and Indonesian students. Organizing both formats required additional considerations, and I’m grateful our partners trusted my leadership. Feedback from parents and students indicates an enjoyable overall experience, with enthusiasm for next year’s competition.

Were there any interesting builds that stood out during the competition?

Absolutely! Students showcased remarkable creativity, developing games within three hours to educate users about different types of fishes. Some built games teleporting users to various habitats to learn about resident animals, with a lobby teleportation feature upon completing specific habitat games. The students’ passionate presentations also impressed the judges, highlighting their confidence in their game. It was a fulfilling experience, and I hope participants learn from judges’ feedback and the competition itself.

Lastly, any words for the winners or participants?

Congratulations to everyone! I am genuinely proud of each student for stepping outside their comfort zone to join this competition. Winning doesn’t define success – the sky’s the limit in coding, requiring continuous learning and occasional unlearning for more efficient approaches. Thank you all for your presence; we appreciate each one of you! See you next year!

Read what our parents and students say about their experience in this year’s competition:

“It was a good experience for Jin Rui. We told him to go without expectations as it’s his first competition, but he loved the experience and he wants to go for next year’s competition and try again!” – Jin Rui’s Mother

“Thank you for organizing the competition and we are happy that Kyan is enjoying his coding learning journey with you all at Empire Code. Congratulations on the successful and well-run Roblox Competition!” – Kyan’s Mother

“For the training program, he enjoyed learning codes he could use for the competition, was allowed to learn at his own pace and had the creativity to create what he wanted. For the competition, he enjoyed the flexibility of creating whatever he wanted and he could apply the codes he had learnt from the camp “ – Brandon’s Mother

From Gamers to Coders: Develop Coding Skills Through Minecraft and Roblox

To all Parents: If you’re concerned that your kids’ love for playing Minecraft and Roblox might not be useful, fear not! These games offer far more than just entertainment value – they also offer opportunities to learn Coding and Game Development skills. In addition to coding, they also enhance skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and soft skills irreplaceable by AI: Creativity and Collaboration. 

Schools have been weaving Minecraft and Roblox into class time, to complement science, history, math and many other subjects! Singapore schools have also incorporated Minecraft and Roblox into sessions, to relay tricky concepts in a fun & engaging manner. Utilising Minecraft Education Edition and Roblox Studio allows your children to pick up coding concepts, whilst having fun.

Minecraft is a game that allows players to build anything they want within the limits of the 3D world. The educational version of Minecraft, known as “Minecraft: Education Edition”, offers a block-based programming platform that allows students to code their very own educational games. It offers a user-friendly interface for kids to learn coding concepts in relatable ways, and encourages experimentation with concepts such as loops, conditional statements and functions, whilst they build their own virtual games. 

Learning how to code using Minecraft helps students develop computational thinking, logical thinking, critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills. Minecraft can also complement skill sets in math and science. For math, students learn concepts such as coordinates and area. The requirements for precise dimensions and coordinates are the key to creating a successful game. For Science, Minecraft has a chemistry lab where students can use chemicals in the lab and explore the reactions of various chemicals. 

Roblox studio, on the other hand, offers a more advanced coding experience through its embedded programming language: Lua. This platform allows users to develop their own games, create assets and program the game logic from scratch. Lua is a powerful coding language that is used in a variety of industries such as gaming and web development. Through this, students can gain a solid foundation in syntax programming, which can be applied to more advanced coding languages such as Python and Javascript. Furthermore, they can also learn 3D modeling skills by creating their models through Blender and importing these models in Roblox. Additionally, Roblox has multiplayer environment features which encourages collaboration and problem-solving skills amongst players.

Learning how to code using Minecraft and Roblox opens up a world of opportunities for students. Coding is a valuable skill that is in high demand in today’s age, and by learning how to code through Minecraft and Roblox, kids can gain a competitive edge in their future careers. Furthermore, who doesn’t like to learn in a fun way? Beyond career benefits, learning to code complements their education, and develops life skills such as critical & logical thinking; essential skills they can use in any industry they find themselves in. With the growing demand for coding skills, it is never too late to learn how to code. Let your kids unleash their creativity and use their love for Minecraft and Roblox to do something productive! Sign up for our FREE Minecraft and Roblox trial classes now! Contact us at +65 8145 5004 to book a trial class. 

Sources:

What is the Metaverse?

Ever wondered why Facebook suddenly changed its name to Meta? From the words of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook has rebranded to align with the upcoming concept of “metaverse” – the future of the internet. He stated, “Meta is a way to bring the metaverse to life and help people connect, find communities and grow businesses”. In simpler words, the metaverse will herald a new era of online interaction.

What is the metaverse exactly? And why is it the buzz word today?

Our world is continuously evolving. Prior to the birth of the world wide web, there was no standard way to communicate between various computer networks. Therefore, the birth of the internet in the 1990s symbolized a breakthrough for mankind, as we had access to people on a global scale, and had freedom to initiate collaborative activities through a computer. The internet then continued to evolve, emerging new breakthroughs and trends. The metaverse could be the new paradigm where our physical and online lives unite. Today, we describe the metaverse as a combination of both virtual and augmented reality where we can immersively interact with all sorts of environments and avatars beyond our imagination, in the comforts of our homes.

The term “metaverse” isn’t actually as new as you thought. It was inspired by a dystopian sci-fi book written by Neal Stephenson back in the early 1990s titled “Snow Crash”. The book depicted a story of people exploring an immersive online, digital world through digital avatars of themselves. Using virtual reality technology, these avatars can attend concerts, buy bread from bakeries, visit amusement parks and walk down the streets in the virtual world. Furthermore, the avatars were the means of communication between the people in the real world. 

One of the agents of the metaverse is Roblox – the online platform that allows digital creators to develop their own games and play games created by other users. The infrastructure of the virtual world created by Roblox closely mimics our physical lives. Hence, it quickly became one of the most significant sources of interaction and entertainment for young people. Through their own avatars, they can play games, attend concerts and travel to places with other people (avatars) in the comfort of their homes. During the pandemic, statistics showed that Roblox became the third highest grossing game of the year. Now, there are other big companies that also integrate the concept of metaverse, including Unity, Gacha games and Nvidia. Some companies are even incorporating NFTs or Bitcoin into their gaming platforms.

What is currently happening in the metaverse?

“For technophiles, the metaverse represents a nirvana: a place to immerse yourself in any digital world, and participate in any physical reality, at any time – and also to be able to see and feel anything, even if you are thousands of miles away from that real place.” – The Economic Times 2020

Well, since the metaverse allows us to do real-world activities in an immersive virtual environment, an individual can now create, buy and sell goods through the metaverse. In the physical world, you can buy clothes and wear them to a concert with your friends. The metaverse allows you to do the same – buying virtual clothes for your avatars and buying tickets to the concert, all within the digital space.

Currently, many established brands such as Adidas, Samsung and JP Morgan are buying virtual retail estate land in top virtual worlds such as Sandbox and Decentraland in the metaverse. In recent months, a piece of “land” was sold for $4.3 million and another piece of digital estate was sold for $2.4 million. Even more recently, a virtual Gucci bag was sold for USD $4115, even more than the real-life bag. Fascinating, isn’t it? Content creators can now construct their own virtual goods and virtual environments, monetizing their content through currencies such as NFTs. 

In conclusion, the metaverse will impact us more than we think. It will affect how we travel, shop, communicate and most importantly, learn.

Is Roblox the future of education?

Like how this video uses Roblox to teach about the metaverse, students and teachers can also adopt Roblox as a platform to create and access educational content. Children can now study at their own pace, and even expand their horizons beyond the traditional curriculum. They can also create teaching content in the Roblox marketplace in return for cash. Moreover, the Roblox platform focuses on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects instead of the generalized traditional curriculum. Therefore, students that study through Roblox can gain much more skills and attract more job opportunities in the market, especially in the STEM sector. 

*See more:  Digitalization: From Optional to Necessity article*

References:

A brief metaverse history: From where it started, to today. Parker Software. (2022, March 31). Retrieved June 11, 2022, from https://www.parkersoftware.com/blog/a-brief-metaverse-history-from-where-it-started-to-today/

Frank Palermo, V. (2022, March 19). What you need to know about the state of the metaverse Today. VentureBeat. Retrieved June 11, 2022, from https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/19/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-state-of-the-metaverse-today/#:~:text=The%20metaverse%20will%20be%20a,digital%20and%20online%20lives%20converge

Frey, T., & *, N. (2021, September 16). The history of the metaverse. Futurist Speaker. Retrieved June 11, 2022, from https://futuristspeaker.com/future-trends/the-history-of-the-metaverse/

How the metaverse future may look like in 2030. The Economic Times. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2022, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/cryptocurrency/how-the-metaverse-future-may-look-like-in-2030/articleshow/91175337.cms

Introduction to metaverse – the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the metaverse, Web3 and NFT. Citi says the metaverse economy could be worth $13 trillion by 2030! (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2022, from https://www.aventis.edu.sg/metaverse?gclid=CjwKCAjw14uVBhBEEiwAaufYx6FEJP2CXhrjTothLG_9k3_StoriFajKbwaUfEzw6t4UKAwwbxoiPxoCNDQQAvD_BwE

Ravenscraft, E. (2021, November 25). What is the metaverse, exactly? Wired. Retrieved June 11, 2022, from https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-the-metaverse/

Schwab, K. (2021, March 29). ‘Roblox’ isn’t just a gaming company. it’s also the future of Education. Fast Company. Retrieved June 11, 2022, from https://www.fastcompany.com/90619108/roblox-future-of-education 

Empire Code Educational Series: What Parents can do about Roblox Safety Concerns.

A few parents have voiced concerns over the safety issues surrounding the Roblox platform for their kids. Sherine and myself have decided to address the concerns in this post.

Often known as an imagination platform for kids, Roblox is now one of the most popular games for children. During the pandemic, Roblox has seen millions of users added to its platform, of which 67% of those are under 16. Therefore, there is a high chance that your child might already have a Roblox app installed on one of his/her devices.

So what makes Roblox so attractive to children?

Unlike Minecraft, Roblox not only provides a free online gaming platform, but it allows users to design their games. Currently, there are around 40,000 games in the Roblox platform created by amateur creators. This platform encourages young digital creators to create, customize, collaborate and successfully publish their games:

1. Creating – Roblox studio tools are easy and friendly for new coders to create games. Players have the freedom to let their imaginations run wild and make it come to life. For example, kids can create their own dream house or compete in a racing game that they have created. Additionally, in the process of building their games, they are learning how to code, which is a useful skill as the world is becoming more and more digitalized.

2. Customizing – Kids can freely customize their avatars and update their games according to their interests! 

3. Community – Having the perks of a global online learning platform, Roblox connects millions of users around the world to collaborate, create and play together. With a never-ending supply of games on the platform, people can challenge each other or engage in teams to complete quests and missions. Especially during the pandemic, Roblox users can utilize this platform to socialize and play with other like-minded people.

However, despite the attractiveness of Roblox, these multiplayer games are still subjected to risks of exposure to sexual and violent content. Recently, BBC News reported an incident of sexual content in Roblox games where avatars were seen to engage in virtual sexual activities. This has caused parents worldwide to grapple with the concern of whether Roblox is safe for kids.

Knowing this, what is Roblox doing to address safety concerns?

Firstly, Roblox uses both AI and a human review team consisting of 2300 people to monitor the game contents. These systems serve to filter out inappropriate chat behaviour and monitor the safety of the games in multiple languages. They keep an eye out for individuals who are misleading users into clicking external restricted links or sharing personal information.

Additionally, they are continuously developing improved parental controls to help protect kids against violent and sexual content. They also have age verification tools and filters catered to different age groups to restrict who children can interact with, and which experiences they can access.

What can you do as a parent?

1. Set your child’s birthdate under 13 to automatically activate content filtering. For users under 13, Roblox automatically blocks inappropriate content (ex. violent or adult scenes) and prohibits the posting of personal information.

2. Set native parental controls. As a parent, you can use these controls to curate your kids’ content and create a list of age-appropriate games. The controls can also be restricted using a PIN code to prevent your child from altering it themselves.

3. Restrict your child’s correspondence to only approved friends in the game. Alternatively, join our Empire Code Roblox Group where we connect Empire Code students with each other. 

4. Block or report disruptive players.

5. Do not save credit card information inside your child’s game because Roblox has a lot of pop-up ads to buy Robux. I have a friend who had to cough up EUR 1,500 for her daughter’s purchases via her credit card. 

6. Play with your kids! By playing together, you can get a better understanding of Roblox, get to know what kind of games your kids like, the content that they are being exposed to, and most importantly educate them to never share personal information or click on suspicious links online.

Incidents can be minimized if parents are involved in regulating their child’s content, thus making Roblox a safe gaming platform for kids. Roblox has a wide range of benefits to offer as it teaches kids coding, game design, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills – skills that are useful for future careers in science, technology, engineering, and math! Interested to find out more about our Roblox classes? Find out more HERE.

References:

Is Roblox safe for kids? A guide for parents and families. Bark. (2021, October 6). Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://www.bark.us/blog/is-roblox-safe-for-kids/

Is Roblox safe for kids? app safety guide for parents. Qustodio. (2021, October 19). Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://www.qustodio.com/en/2021/05/23/is-roblox-safe-for-kids-app-safety-guide-for-parents/

Maressa Brown By Maressa Brown January 25, 2021. (n.d.). Is roblox safe for kids? Parents. Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://www.parents.com/kids/safety/internet/is-roblox-safe-for-kids/