You will not need any software or additional materials for this chapter as it is mostly informative theory. You may want to have access to a computer to visit some of the websites or applications discussed in this chapter.

Roblox has been a consistently growing platform since its creation in 2006, and in recent years, it has grown tremendously. As of 2022, more than 200 million unique users play Roblox monthly. Because of this, there has never been a better time to become a Roblox developer as there are so many new players looking for a wide variety of experiences from new creators.

Financial opportunities on Roblox

Perhaps one of the greatest contributing factors to Roblox’s overall rise in popularity with developers is the monetary benefits that are offered. These benefits may have been one of your motivations to learn more about the platform, and that is to be expected. The top experiences on the Roblox platform are currently making tens of millions of US dollars from in-experience purchases annually.

As a developer, you can earn money from your experiences through the Developer Exchange, more commonly called DevEx. Roblox has a virtual...

As previously mentioned, the Roblox developer community is quite diverse; each developer brings their own unique style and technique to the platform. In game development, there are a variety of roles that a developer can fulfill. Most commonly on Roblox, each developer typically has one primary skill that they use for a project. The most common types of developers on Roblox are programmers, builders, 3D modelers, UI/UX designers, and other various artists. Each developer that holds their respective role is equally important to creating a well-refined finished product.

Programmers

Programmers create the core of any experience. From storing player data, creating working weapons, or any other experience functionality that doesn’t happen by default, a programmer is the one producing it. On Roblox, programmers use a Roblox implementation of the Lua programming language, called Luau. Lua is a fast, C-based procedural language that can be found...

Though the beginning of your development career may vary, one thing is typically standard: your first experience will not be number one on the popular page, and that’s okay! As frustrating as it may be that you are not granted the instant gratification everyone craves, this is the best outcome. Speaking from personal experience, maintaining a popular experience that is played by tens of thousands of players concurrently (or more) is quite stressful. It is best that new developers have time to gain additional experience in order to first get used to the platform before producing popular titles. Figure 1.1 depicts the thumbnail of my first game, Endure; it almost immediately tells an onlooker that the project was made by an amateur:

Figure 1.1: Endure was one of my first titles and lacked refinement

Many new developers often run into what I’ve coined the Roadblocks on Roblox, where they begin to create a project...

The key points to remember from this chapter are what opportunities exist on the Roblox platform, what different developer types do, and what interests you, as well as finding a collection of people in the community with which to create more well-rounded projects.

After combining what you have learned about networking, what to expect from early development, as well as how to build your overall experience as a developer, I believe that you too will be able to accomplish amazing feats on the platform while strengthening skills that will benefit you in any professional environment.

In the following chapter, you will begin getting to know Roblox Studio, the program with which you will create your experiences. Knowing all the features of your work environment, including those that may not be immediately noticeable, will help to increase your development efficiency and overall productivity on future projects.

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Q1. What is a common and interchangeable word for games used on Roblox?

Q2. What is the name of the process through which developers exchange Robux for real-world currency?

Q3. What do developers sell for Robux in their games in order to earn money? Specifically, what are used for one-time purchases and what are used for multiple purchases?

Q4. How long may it take for developers to receive the proceeds of in-experience sales?

Q5. What is the name of the programming language used in Roblox development?

Q6. What do programmers do on Roblox?

Q7. What do 3D modelers do on Roblox?

Q8. What do builders do on Roblox?

Q9. What do UI/UX designers do on Roblox?

Q10. What should you expect from your first projects on Roblox?