Millions are flocking to grow virtual gardens in viral Roblox game created by teenager

Boston Globe

5 days ago

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'The word I keep hearing used over and over to describe this particular game is that it's chill, which is just such a nice alternative. I get a lot of sort of that '
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FILE - The gaming platform Roblox is displayed on a tablet, Oct. 30, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Leon Keith, File)
Leon Keith/Associated Press
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Coincidence or not, 'Grow a Garden' soared to popularity around the same time that Take-Two Interactive announced it would delay the launch of its wildly anticipated 'Grand Theft Auto 6″ until next year. In late June, the gardening game logged 21.6 million concurrent players, surpassing 'Fortnite''s previous record of 15.2 million according to Roblox. Analysts who follow Roblox's stock say 'Grow a Garden' is helping boost the company's revenue and will push the company's quarterly earnings numbers above Wall Street's expectations.
While it's not clear if the 'GTA' audience flocked to this simple gardening game to pass the time until then, the timing reignited the age-old debate about who gamers are and what titles are taken seriously by the video game establishment. It happened with 'Candy Crush,' with puzzle games, with 'Animal Crossing.' Are people who play cozy games true gamers? Or is the title reserved for the folks who shoot enemies in 'Call of Duty' or drive around creating mayhem in 'GTA'?
'There's a huge percentage of gamers that play Roblox and the actual industry just views it as like this esoterically immature platform of weird gameplay habits,' said Janzen Madsen, the New Zealand-based CEO and founder of Splitting Point studios, which acquired the game from its teenage creator. 'Well, I actually think in five years this is what player expectation is gonna be. And because you guys haven't embraced it, like you're not going to know how to make games.'
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To start growing your garden, you'll need a Roblox account. The game will start you out with an empty plot and some money — sheckles — and a starter seed. From there, you can plant seeds, harvest and sell your crops and buy more seeds, animals or tools for your garden. While it is possible to play the game without spending real-world money, it will take longer. Once you sell enough crops, you earn money to buy more expensive seeds beyond basic carrots and blueberries.
'For me, I just, I really want to get all the rarest stuff. I'm a completionist, so I want everything and that's what's fun for me,' said
For Roblox, which has faced a backlash for
New players get help from more established peers who send them gifts and let them know when rare seeds become available in the seed shop.
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Bozdech said that 'if you have the right supervision and guidance,' Roblox can be a positive experience for kids, allowing them to create their own designs or practice coding, for instance.
'Something like 'Grow a Garden,' particularly, is a nice opportunity maybe for parents and kids to play together,' she said.
And perhaps the slow cultivating of a magical garden can benefit parents, too.
'It's hitting a nerve, you know?' Bozdech said. 'People need an escape from the world, I think we all do.'