◼ 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