Roblox and the impact of social gaming on children's content
At Cartoon Forum in Toulouse last week, C21 spoke to those at the forefront of children’s content to discuss the impact on the sector of social gaming platforms like Roblox.
On a mission to find out about the latest trends in the world of children’s content, C21 caught up with producers to discuss the impact on kids’ TV of Roblox and other social gaming platforms. Here’s what they had to say.
Julian Scott, animation consultant, Film London
“The increase in engagement with something like Roblox just goes to show that the audience wants to create their own content. They want to reflect their own interests and lives and the things that make them excited, and be able to create that themselves.
“Should producers get involved with Roblox and social gaming? Absolutely, if they want to survive. I don’t think anybody who refuses to engage with it has a long-term future. Older kids have already gone there and the current preschool kids will be there in two or three years. Fish where the fish are and if you don’t adapt to where the fish are you’re not going to survive.”
Delphine Dumont, chief commercial officer, Banijay Kids & Family
“Our industry has to adapt to our audience and Roblox is going to be the way to do that, alongside other digital platforms like YouTube. It’s a new era for content creators. At Banijay Kids & Family we have two projects [in the pipeline for launch on Roblox] coming before the end of the year for two of our IPs.
As an IP owner, that is our plan [to expand into social gaming], but in order to navigate that world we need to educate ourselves. I would recommend producers be wary and educate themselves prior to going there straight away and spending too big a budget; the industry is in crisis and we may not have that money to spend, so it’s about educating ourselves and risk-assessing. You have to work with a specialist creative team who knows how to talk to the audience on Roblox; it’s not just any creative.”
Emmanuele Petry, producer, Dandelooo
“It [the rise of social gaming] tells us kids want to be in control. They want to decide what they do, what they watch, who they play with. We love educational entertainment programmes and I wonder how we are going to be able to get information or messages to kids if they choose the play model first.
“The problem [with launching new IP on Roblox] is probably how do kids find this new IP? Kids are attracted to well-known brands and IPs that have been around for a while, so it’s like a drop in the ocean. If you throw in an IP that is unknown, how will they find it? That’s the big question. Of course there will be something jumping out of the ocean, but we [producers] don’t control anything, that’s for sure.”
Jean-Baptiste Wery, producer, Dandelooo
“You need to build something strong if you want to emerge. There are very few people making money on Roblox; some of them get a lot, but the business model is not that easy for producers. I guess it means accepting [you have] to invest a lot of money for quite some time. It’s risky, but if you want to grow with your audience you have to consider it.
“On one hand, you have to adapt to the world changing. On the other hand, it’s not what will make us survive. What will make us survive is having a strong ecosystem of financing in Europe, creativity and independence of producers. Roblox will not solve everything.”
Diego Ibáñez Belaustegui, chief brand officer, kids and family, DeAPlaneta Entertainment
“If you want to stay relevant to the audience, you have to be there [in social gaming] unless you are ready to face a decrease in the audience of your shows. You need to be there because you have to access them in the moment they’re not going to be watching TV. It’s definitely something you have to consider if you want to create a show or an idea. Whatever we are developing right now at DeAPlaneta has a Roblox component included.
“The animation industry can really benefit from Roblox and social gaming platforms, firstly though feedback. Interaction gives you excellent feedback about your brand and you can create stories by listening to kids. Roblox could be the playground for studios and animation companies that want to develop their skills more because it’s a one-stop-shop for everything.”
Maggie Liang, MD, The Media Pioneers
“I really do think producers need to move in [to the social gaming sector]. It’s not about competing with each other, it’s about co-operation. I’ve heard from some of the broadcasters that they’re already beginning to think about how to link Roblox games with their own platforms, using it to their advantage. Social gaming won’t replace traditional content because they have different functions.”
