Nice reference to aphids (which are used like cows by ant colonies). So kids make games which require currency from other kids?! Why would they do that? Do they get a cut?

Yes. Like $105 for every ~43,000 robux (~$350-$490, depending on the tier of robux purchased) players spend in your game. Not including the money you get for free just by retaining players with a Roblox subscription in your game.

Top Roblox devs are making millions of dollars. [0]

[0] https://okmagazine.com/p/teen-ceo-brandon-millionaire-throug...

Top Roblox devs are adults.

Yup. I imagine those millions are the ones I see on LinkedIn offering 50-60k for a "Roblox game developer". Even in a UGC platform, the biggest money makers are the ones doing it as a legitimate job.

>Why are people OK with this?

Because like it or not, this space has basically become a "third place" for many kids. In that regard it has to compete with console games about as much as a lonely arcade machine in some old bar does. They aren't coming for the games alone.

>The paradigm could be replaced with literally anything, yet the prevailing mode of "play" in these spaces is convert meatspace credits to in-game "virtual property"; costumes, weaponry, etc.

Yup, but as we know from growing up and seeing the rise of social media: the best, sleekest solution isn't always thr Victor. It's all about network effects.