Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed 🍁
Content Advisory: Rape and Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Child abuse/pedophilia, Underage romance/statutory rape, Kidnapping
Young female gamers try to do something about the online games that populate the online video game Roblox in Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed. Alex is a Toronto-based gamer and content creator who is a dedicated user of Roblox, a social gaming platform created in 2004. However, Alex is bothered by the toxic mindset of male players, who often make unwanted sexual advances.
Alex is not alone in being concerned with the proliferation of online predators in video games. She becomes friends with Florida-based streamer Janae, who was the victim of racist abuse playing Minecraft, which resulted in her creating her dedicated server for black players. Then there is Katie, who was a victim of online grooming by a Roblox developer, who would later end up kidnapping another player.
Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed Synopsis
Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed is a documentary directed by Ann Shin (A.rtificial I.mmortality), which acts as an exposé into the dark side of the Metaverse. The term Metaverse is often used to describe simulated experiences in the world of video games, with Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite being the current popular metaverses for children. Despite claiming to have strict safety measures, these environments have become a breeding ground for not only sexual predators but also hate groups that recruit and radicalize players.
The primary subject of Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed is the young Toronto player Alex, who is increasingly concerned about how dangerous the Metaverse has become. Along with fellow young players Janae and Katie, Alex tries to find a way to get Roblox to do something about these predators. This includes travelling to Washington, D.C., to join a class action lawsuit against the platform.
My Thoughts on Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed
While Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed focuses on the current generation of young gamers, the film tackles issues that have been around since the dawn of the internet. Whether it be Usenet and chatrooms or the current virtual “Metaverse” communities, there have always been issues with sexual predators. What makes this problem different today is that the Metaverse have become the playground for modern kids, and that the solution isn’t as easy as keeping them offline.
Director Ann Shin allows the three main tween subjects to speak for themselves about their love of the Metaverse and how they would do anything to protect it. The film also includes some context from adult interview subjects, including psychologist Dr. Rachel Kowert and journalist Quintin Smith. The film also includes a couple of interview clips with Roblox Vice President of Civility and Partnerships, Tami Bhaumik, who tries to defend Roblox‘s safety protocols, placing the blame for sexual predators on the use of Discord servers, despite them being accessed from the Roblox platform.
Even though I’m a lifelong gamer, I never really heard of Roblox until a few years ago, and I am admittedly too old to understand its appeal. However, Roblox and Minecraft are just the most recent of popular online experiences that have also included World of Warcraft and Second Life. Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed is not only a cautionary tale about the dangers of these online experiences, but also shows how important they are to the younger generation. As such, tech companies must step up to ensure that these environments remain a safe space.
Trailer for Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed 🍁
