It’s a known fact that kids love games; Minecraft and Roblox are some of the most popular online games for kids globally. Parents tend to be concerned about the amount of time their kids spend with them. On these games and the benefits they get. But the good news is that there is mounting evidence that video games are suitable for kids and provide more than entertainment.
Recent advances in technology have made it possible to create online worlds and communities for children to explore, design and share. One area of gaming, in particular, called “sandbox gaming,” is helping to promote creativity and teach children self-discipline, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Rather than focusing on linear gameplay and completing levels, sandbox games allow players the freedom to explore and create their own worlds.
Minecraft and Roblox are two of the world’s leading sandbox games. As a parent, you need to be careful of which one is a better game for your child. While there are many similarities between these games, there are also apparent differences that can help you decide. Here are some of the similarities and differences between Roblox and Minecraft to help you decide which one is right for your child.
What is Minecraft?
Minecraft is a highly interactive computer video game in which the player can explore a 3D world made up of blocks. Although it is a 3D game, the graphics look very basic due to the structure of the blocks. This may seem like a disadvantage, but it is actually an advantage. It is less stressful to render on the computer, and kids like the older graphic style.
Minecraft is a sandbox game. This means that there is no set storyline that you have to complete, and everything is unlocked at the start of the game. There is nothing that your child has to do to progress through the game. Instead, they are free to build and explore from the start, using everything that appears in the game. The only exceptions are upgrades that can be purchased or require specific events in the game. However, you can still use upgrades from the beginning without advancing to another part of the story.
In Minecraft, you can manipulate blocks to rebuild your world. The world has an actual structure in different environments to explore. The player can control the setting by moving, adding, and removing blocks. Players can use the toolset to build houses or create mines in the mountains. There are a variety of environments to explore, and players can interact with other players.
What is Roblox?
Roblox is a new version of a sandbox game, more like a game platform. Essentially, it is a collection of games built on the Roblox platform; Roblox itself is not a game; it is just a system to facilitate other games. Players create a character and choose which game to play with that character.
Roblox takes a different approach to graphics, mixing low-quality design with high-resolution elements but with a LEGO feel. The player character also looks like a LEGO person, but with more advanced graphics developed. Roblox allows the player to travel, interact with things globally, build a community, and build their own ideas.
Roblox games are created entirely by players, with moderation and oversight by the Roblox development team. New games are being added all the time; players can create their own games. This means that your child can try out games to experience what other players have experienced or create their own games for other players to enjoy.
What Minecraft and Roblox Have in Common
Minecraft and Roblox are both based on the sandbox concept of gaming. This means that players use their imagination to build a world within the game instead of competing with other players or trying to get through a level of play with the number of items and points they collect. There is no set storyline in either game, but there are events in the world that you can participate in to obtain valuable items and share experiences with other players.
Both games focus on providing a unique experience, which makes them attractive. The open-world mechanics allow players almost unlimited freedom to explore.
Differences between Minecraft and Roblox
The most important differences between Roblox and Minecraft is its architecture:
Minecraft is a self-contained game where you manipulate blocks to create a world, while Roblox is a system for accessing other games. Because of this, Minecraft’s content is more predictable. Everyone plays with the same essential content, whereas Roblox players can have a completely different experience right from the start, depending on their game choices.
Where mods come from is one of the significant differences between Minecraft and Roblox:
Minecraft is updated with mods created by the core development team; in Roblox, each game is developed by a different player; Minecraft mods are meant to adjust the user experience, while Roblox mods completely change the background.
Another critical difference is the cost of each game:
Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, and to play it, you need to buy the game. Roblox is free to start playing, and anyone over the age limit can register themselves. However, both Roblox and Minecraft sell in-game extras and out-of-game merchandise to generate money.
Advantages of Minecraft
The significant advantage of Minecraft lies in its organization and development structure
The game is continuously developed by professional developers and content creators. This means that all mods and updates have to meet the company’s quality standards. Not only is the quality of the games consistently high, but parents don’t have to worry about inappropriate or generally poor quality content.
Minecraft also allows your child to fully explore engineering concepts through construction and world-building
In Minecraft, there are almost no limits to what can be built if done at the correct scale. In Minecraft, there are practically no limits to what can be made, as long as it is done at the correct scale, which means that your child can hone their creative and critical thinking skills while building new parts of the world.
For example, many players like to build gorgeous houses for themselves. Building a home is fun, but problems can arise and make your house unusable if you’re not careful. The depth of the work that people have come up with is awe-inspiring, especially considering that almost every object in the game is a block variation.
The appeal of Minecraft from a parent’s point of view would be that it is a game that is mainly played alone. There are ways to communicate with other players, but it is unnecessary. This means that parents don’t have to worry about who their children interact with online. Like any other single-player game, parents can let their children create their own games without worry.
Advantages of Roblox
- Perhaps the most prominent advantage of Roblox is that it is free to play. Anyone can start and try the game at no additional cost. This makes the game more accessible to those new to the game. Roblox also has the advantage of being able to continuously develop new content. Thanks to our gaming community of builders, new game modules are added daily.
- The possibility of letting your own children do the crafting for other players is unique to Roblox. This feature makes Roblox close to game developers and an excellent place to explore future possibilities as a developer or content creator. It also provides an opportunity to build a stronger community by experiencing games created by others and a chance for children to experience and review the work of others.
- Roblox uses a more in-depth coding system that requires you to code the game. For this reason, many young people are creating new content to practice coding. Some are even starting to turn their Roblox development efforts into a viable business making thousands of dollars. If your child is interested in learning to code as a career, Roblox may be a better platform than Minecraft.
How to select the correct program for children
Choosing the right program will depend on various factors but can be summed up in a few decisions.
- Single-player or community-based?
- Simple design or complex coding?
- Investment to get started vs. investment to upgrade
Depending on which of these you choose, your choice of platform will also vary. If you care about who your child interacts with online, Minecraft is a better choice, and while Roblox actively manages its content and forums, it cannot guarantee a problem-free experience with its content.
If you don’t want to make the upfront investment in challenging your child to a game, Roblox is a great choice. However, to create new content for Roblox, your child will need to learn more about coding. This is both a good thing and a hindrance to thoroughly enjoying the game.
If you don’t mind investing in a single-player game upfront, Minecraft is a better option. There are plenty of ways to upgrade later, and there are no issues like community content. However, your child won’t have access to a more detailed coding system, so they won’t be able to learn it as a real-world skill.
Roblox and Minecraft, whichever you choose, are both effective ways to learn game design and coding skills.
