Let’s talk about demographics. It’s not something you typically think about with video games, but it’s a category that both developers and publishers have to think about when it comes to creating titles. After all, who you “aim your game at” will determine the content that you produce and how far you go with things like violence, language, and other levels of “adult content.” With something like Roblox, most people think of it as a “kid’s game,” as 40% of its player base is 13 or younger. However, there are plenty of adults who play the game and enjoy it for different reasons.
A great example of this was pointed out in an article from Vogue of all places. They noted that Roblox Dress To Impress is a title that truly brings in adults and has been a consistent game that influencers have not only had fun with, but used via streaming.
As noted by Vogue, over 63% of the game’s player base is over 13 years old. However, just as important is that 43% is over 18! That’s pretty interesting, and definitely not the norm that this universe tends to have with its games.
Another key factor here is that influencers like Charlie XCX have not only done livestreams of the game, but have also done special collaborations to feature special fashions that people can have. When said influencer dropped a certain album of hers and hosted special “challenges” within the game, over 16 million people played them. That’s not a small number. Plus, in terms of overall content that the community helped make during that time, over 200 million views of those products were had. That’s also not a small number.
With fashion brands also getting on the action, the game continues to have big influences, and thus, could have big ramifications both in the game’s universe and out.
How so? For the younger gamers, this kind of title can teach them about fashion sense, and many within Gen-Z who also play the game have said that they like to take the look’s of their avatars and apply them to the real world when possible.
As for adults, they simply have fun, and perhaps they’ll give some of these fashion brands a shot because they like how their characters look. Not to mention, if they like the dress-up game, they might be interested in trying out some of the other games in the universe.
That’s what you call “the ripple effect.”
