It was 2008 and, compared to the era’s hottest games — the violent Gears of War, the vulgar Grand Theft Auto — Roblox was relatively juvenile, with bright colours and janky graphics ...

Roblox is the most popular game with 5- to 12-year-olds in the US, according to Rooster Money, and it topped the pocket money spending charts in the UK in 2020 ahead of Fortnite.