Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-08-31)

◼ TECHNOLOGY Bloomberg Businessweek August 31, 2020

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PHOTOGRAPH BY KYLE JOHNSON FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK. ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHI GULLBRANTS. DATA: MOJANG STUDIOS, ROBLOX

WhenRuthC.KinneyElementaryinIslipTerrace,

N.Y.,wentinto lockdowninMarch, librarian

BiancaRiverafearedshewouldn’tbeabletocon-

nectwithstudentswho’dtypicallycomeinfor

activities.Butshesoonthoughtofa placewhere

shemightfindthem:thevirtualworldsofRoblox,

a websitewherekidschat,playgames,andlearn

newskills.Severaltimesa week,Riveraanddoz-

ensof8-to11-year-oldsloggedontoplaygames

suchasPiggyButIt’s 100 Players(thepointisto

fendoffa petulantporker)andAdoptMe!(they

careforvirtualpets).Riverafrettedthatparents

wouldrebelagainstyetmoretimespentonline,

buttheyweregrateful,andthisfallshe’splanning

touseRobloxtoteachanimation.“Itwasa wayto

talktothekids,”shesays.“Itjusthelpeduscon-

nectandstaytogether.”

Withthepandemic continuingtorageand

manyschoolslikelytoremainclosedoroperate

onreducedschedules,moreteachersareturning

toRobloxandMinecraft, a rivalofferingfrom

MicrosoftCorp.Yes,they’recomputergames,but

they’realsoseriouslearningtools,teachersand

educationtheoristssay.Robloxoffersmillionsof

games,somedesignedtosurreptitiouslyteach

thethreeR’s.InMinecraft, playersconstructand

explorevirtualworlds outofblocksthatlook

somethinglikeLegos.Withinthoseenvironments,

theycanengageinmorethan 600 learningsessions,

withactivitiessuchasvisitinga low-defversionof

Florence,Italy;hangingoutina “decimal/fraction

garden”; or honing language skills while exploring

a shipwreck. “Being able to connect a classroom

of 20 to 25 students remotely—gaming works really

well,” says Deirdre Quarnstrom, the Microsoft

executive who oversees a school-focused edition

of Minecraft, which lets teachers limit who’s playing

and what the kids do.

● As the outbreak continues, teachers are turning to games that sneak lessons into play

● Monthly active users

in July

Minecraft

132m

Roblox

150m

Readin’, Writin’ & Roblox