If there's one thing you know about Roblox, it's that its roleplay servers can get really weird. This can be especially true for the romance-centred ones, but this can be said of most popular online game with a large pre-teen audience.
But now, a full 16 years into the game's lifespan, the developer has decided that enough is enough. In an (first spotted by ), players are banned from performing a whole host of actions, including anything to do with romance such as holding mock weddings, holding hands, and kissing.
The new measures don't stop there. A big section in the new community standards goes in-depth about political references in the game, pretty much banning any sort of mention of it. Here's a portion of what you can no longer mention in Roblox.
- Current candidates running for public office, including their slogans, campaign material, rallies, or events
- Political parties, including official party-affiliated organization
- Specific races for elected office
- Sitting real-world elected officials
- Previously-elected officials in their official capacity
- Individuals who have previously run for political office in their capacity as candidates
- Desecration of political entity symbols, including flag burning
- Inflammatory content related to real world border, territorial, or jurisdictional relationships
Elsewhere the community standards are what you would expect from an online game, with rules against harassment and grooming. However, there is an oddly specific rule against depicting a "dangerous misuse of fireworks", so god knows what's been going on.
While this may seem odd at first, it's possible that this is all in aid of Roblox carving a path into the so-called "Metaverse", in which players live a large part of their lives online. Companies have been jumping on the bandwagon since the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:success of Fortnite's in-game concerts, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Facebook wants to get in on this through investing in VR.
It's also extremely likely that the sudden tough stance against any depictions of romance comes due to the bad press Roblox has received in mainstream news outlets over the years, with claims that child predators are using the service to target under 18s. In 2019, on how paedophiles had started using the game to then contact children through third-party apps. Roblox claimed at the time to have 24-hour moderators in the game, and is "relentless in shutting down inappropriate material".