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Original poster

Ro Bucks for Roblox. Do you buy them for child?

63 replies

Swelteringmeltering · 17/08/2020 09:47

Roblox has dominated dd life since lock down and tbh its quite creative, gets her to spell and write, play different characters, create outfits etc so I don't mind. But she's obsessed with getting robuck, ie real money.

It's the only thing she's passionate about so I was thinking for her bday of getting her some but in the context of this game.. Has anyone else?
Will it be a nightmare chaining us into buying robuck for ever more.. is it easy to buy them? Any advice?

OP posts:
IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 17/08/2020 09:54

I've done it a few times, but from my laptop not hers, that way she can't go back and buy more if I inadvertently save my card details.

DD's friends birthday was last week and she got Robux gift cards apparently.

I don't love doing it, seems like a waste of money to me, but it's her pocket money after all...

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 17/08/2020 09:54

Oh - you can do one-off purchases so no, you won't be tied into anything if you don't want to be.

Original poster
Swelteringmeltering · 17/08/2020 10:16

Robux gift cards

Any idea what sort of figures? Would £20 be sufficient? Are they easy to buy?
Will definitely be double checking no card details are saved.... It's definitely a situation where we would be thousands out of pocket...
Yes seems like a waste of money but also its that sales thing on children I don't like... Making them want to buy in.
On the other hand it's her favourite thing, and as I said its creative and she asks how to spell and she has to read!

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wendz86 · 17/08/2020 11:18

My daughter uses her pocket money to buy some sometimes. She usually only buys the 4.99 or 0.99 packs as that seems to allow her to do what she wants. they are really easy to buy. It just charges my apple account for them normally.

Alexindiamondarmour · 17/08/2020 11:21

I’m interested to hear the replies about this too. My children keep asking me and my DH and I have had a strict “no in-app purchases” rule for things like this and other games they play on their iPad.
Like someone said above, if I start now I’m worried I’ll never see the end of it and end up paying thousands!

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 17/08/2020 11:55

Well my daughter has paid £4.99 twice I think; that gives you a certain amount of Robux, the smallest amount you can buy in one bundle I think. There are only certain amounts you can buy, it's not a free for all.

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 17/08/2020 11:56

I do have an instinctive bias against it, but then I think I could easily pay a fiver for a magazine that she'd read in an hour, or she might want to spend it on some other plastic tat. There's no inherent reason this is 'bad' as long as you're in control of it.

VeraVioletVinn · 17/08/2020 11:57

My DS was getting a pound a week pocket money, but a while ago we agreed that I would pay for a monthly subscription for Robux instead - it is only £4.59 a month and he gets around 450 Robux I think. This seems to be enough for him to get what he wants, and to be honest it is all he wants to spend money on at the moment! I was a bit wary at first but actually having looked into it a bit more I think Roblox is great, there is loads of variety and ranges from educational to very silly.

I think what the Robux are used for varies a lot based on each individual game - DS plays lots of train simulator games so buys new trains when they come out, for example, and he gets a lot of fun out of this so not a waste of money in my opinion. Some of the games you need a small number of Robux to play them at all (it is usually a one-off though I think, and only like 25 Robux or less from what I've seen).

Original poster
Swelteringmeltering · 17/08/2020 12:15

Very helpful thank you.
I had vague memories of bad stuff re roblox when older dd was getting into that stuff. Older dd went for animal jam.

I do think my generation can be a little old fashioned when it comes to '(games' 'on screens.
But it's not like pac man, sat watching something move around.
Dd gets really creative in roblox!

So from the sounds of it, a subscription maybe the thing, or even get her maybe £10 for her bday which is soon and for Xmas, the monthly subscription. That would blow her away....

Between Minecraft and roblox I am astonished sometimes, dd tells me she is a mum and has a baby 😂 so she can't come off, or she's a police man and is taking a criminal to jail, or designing an outfit for a fashion show!!

In Minecraft she built a marvellous train track to take her to the village. But she replaced the rails with power as she realised without power she could not get up the slopes.
I really am blown away by what they can do now. Having said that, we definitely need to do a detox when they go back to school.
But opening up all these worlds and activities from our front room during lock down... Fabulous.

I feel much better about buying her some now, thanks everyone. I'll just be super super careful that she can't endlessly buy.

I also totally agree about the magazine in comparison.

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Emeraldshamrock · 17/08/2020 12:19

Yes I do. DD has been playing it for four years. She gets €12 weekly pay, she spends €10 on robux saves €2. She is nearly 12.
It is annoying too as everything in it costs money.

Hobbes8 · 17/08/2020 12:20

I think it’s part of a big change that my kids generation (I’m early 40s, they are 9 and 6) don’t buy so much physical stuff now. So they have Spotify and Netflix rather than CDs and DVDs, and they buy in-game things rather than plastic tat. Mine collect outfits and objects in the game, whereas I would have collected Barbie outfits or whatever. It seems pretty harmless, if a bit baffling.

IncludeWomenInTheSequel · 17/08/2020 12:23

I play with my daughter sometimes, she absolutely loves it and donates me some of her pets in Adopt Me Grin

It's a nice bonding thing for us to do together, although obviously I find it kinda boring. We skip off to do an obby together, it makes her happy.

Morfin · 17/08/2020 12:23

The game is free to play, it has to make money somehow when you think about the time she plays and the enjoyment compared to renting a movie that you watch once for a few hours I think it's good value for money. I've always been strict and consistent about how much they can spend so I don't get asked for more.

Original poster
Swelteringmeltering · 17/08/2020 12:26

Hobbes, yes it's a mental change for us. Very true about plastic tat. Yy Spotify, family Spotify was Xmas present last year for dc.

What do you mean about collecting outfits in the game, is this something they do for free, or is what they need to buy?

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Original poster
Swelteringmeltering · 17/08/2020 12:30

Morfin, again very true.
Gosh I'm starting to feel really guilty now because she's been asking and begging for the months.
Having said that, she does get to do what she wants rather too much so, it will be wondeful when she does get her robux. Delayed gratification.
If she could see this thread she would be giving everyone thanks and praise to the high heavens. Grin

OP posts:
nowaitaminute · 17/08/2020 12:31

My 7.5 yr old doesn't have any means of playing it but if she did...No I wouldn't

netflixismysidehustle · 17/08/2020 12:38

My ds had a subscription for a while.

At Xmas and birthdays I gave him a £10 gift card that he was allowed to fritter on whatever digital currency he wanted.

CleanandJerk · 17/08/2020 12:43

I sometimes buy the smallest bundle.

Morfin · 17/08/2020 13:30

sweltering it took me ages to come around to letting them spend real money, still in my head I'm screaming what a waste 😂

Hobbes8 · 17/08/2020 17:58

Oh sweltering I’m at the edge of my knowledge here! I just asked my kids and they said (with great enthusiasm!) you can buy outfits and you can by game passes which let you into VIP rooms and stuff.

I used to feel quite strongly that it was a waste of money, but I’ve tried to let go of that now (I’m sure whatever I was desperate for at that age my mum thought was a waste of money). They tend to get cash from relatives now for birthdays and Christmas so I let them get a tenners worth a couple of times a year and they love it. They agonise over what they’re going to spend it on, so hopefully it’s teaching them something about the value of money and not being able to get everything that’s available.

Original poster
Swelteringmeltering · 17/08/2020 20:07

Hobbes, yes of course, it's hard to relinquish that control.

Vip rooms!! Bastards!! Introducing that concept early!

Poor dd as I said I feel quite guilty now. She's worked like an absolute trooper over lock down, both of us clawing our way up from bottom of the class.
I did say I would do a sort of reward jar for her to earn some.
After what everyone's said I will simply do small expedite of that and let her have some then do the subscription for Xmas.

I don't want to be backwards thinking fuddy duddy..... I did let other dd do animal jam. But animal jam is run by Natinal geographic and seems more ''worthy' 'Grin

Poor little mite... Her dreams will come true 😍😍😍. She does deserve.

OP posts:
Original poster
Swelteringmeltering · 17/08/2020 20:09

Re value of money, I do think that's true, because even without buying robux they do have opportunities to earn money and she used to waste hers on one expensive item then couldn't get anything else...

OP posts:
BananaSpanner · 17/08/2020 20:13

I generally don’t let DS aged 8 have robux but one occasion I relented and paid for £9 worth. Not sure what he did but it had all gone in 10 mins and he was unhappy because another user had taken what he bought?! Not sure if this is even possible but I’ve not spent a penny since and he’s not asked.

ginsparkles · 17/08/2020 20:13

We have agreed with DD that she can use one weeks pocket money each month on Robucks.

WiltedWillows · 17/08/2020 20:29

Yes occasionally if my DC has seen something they like! I like Roblox, lots of different games to play on.

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