Roblox is just a kind of advanced Minecraft, right? No. It's a $45bn company whose cutesy world has grown into a blatant appstore full of apps and games whose developers get only a minuscule sub-25% cut of revenues, far less than Apple, Google, Microsoft, Steam or Epic. Quintin Smith presents an extensive investigation into the ways the company takes advantage of its users, who are overwhelmingly children—and how it turns them into virtually unpaid employees buried in constant startup-culture demands for them to work rather than play.
Roblox is a $45bn platform built largely by children working for scrip
Study: games and video-watching correlate with kids getting smarter, social media a wash
On the impact of digital media on childhood intelligence, games and watching videos were consistent with cognitive benefits. Socializing digitally, however, had no consistent effect. Here we estimated the effect of each three types of screen time (Watching TV and online videos, Socializing via social media, text, and video chat, and Gaming) on intelligence after… READ THE REST
Cultivate a virtual underwater ecosystem in your orb.farm
Orb.farm is a pixel-art glass bowl you can fill with water, sand, stone, wood, plankton, fish and other things useful for the creation of underwater ecologies. [via Hacker News] This is a virtual ecosystem where different species of creature can live, grow and die as part of a self-contained food chain. A fun way to… READ THE REST
How they make the sounds for "Halo Infinite"
I'm a sucker for a good video about the art of foley, and this one features an adorable pug. Ever wonder how video games get their sound effects? We go behind the scenes of Halo, one of the world's most popular video games, to find out how the game builds everything from its weapon sound… READ THE REST
Make custom engravings for anything you own with 33% off this engraving pen
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. There's something extraordinary about personalized items. A monogram, a note, really anything personal, can give a ton of meaning to a seemingly mundane object. And one surefire way to make something unique… READ THE REST
This powerful electric toothbrush can last up to 28 days on one charge
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Are you searching for a premium toothbrush? Then you might want to upgrade to an electric toothbrush. For one, they're a whole lot better at fighting nasty grime like food particles and… READ THE REST
With a deal on a vaccum like this, spring cleaning can continue right into summer
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. From your roommate that doesn't know how to use a plate to your dog that manages to track every inch of dirt from the backyard every time it comes back in… READ THE REST
