Roblox unveils plans to release new dating service
On the first day of Roblox’s ninth annual Roblox Developers Conference (RDC), hosted at the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture in San Francisco, Cali., Roblox CEO, David Baszucki, revealed a list of 10 plans the company has for the next five years. Among these plans is one that took the Internet by storm: a plan to launch a dating service for verified users ages 17 and up. While there have been no updates as to what stage of development this addition to the game is in, the announcement marks a significant change for Roblox which has primarily marketed itself to children. Do the developers merely see this as an opportunity to tap into a new target market or are we witnessing the future of dating?
This announcement comes nearly two years after Meta (formerly known as Facebook) introduced the world to the Metaverse, an online world where people are able to meet and interact using virtual reality headsets powered by artificial intelligence. While Meta has yet to formally announce a dating feature to the Metaverse, it seems highly likely that one will be introduced as Meta is already involved with the industry through Facebook Dating. Is Roblox getting ahead of the curve with this announcement? It remains to be seen.
The announcement was initially met with mixed reactions, including from those in attendance who can be heard groaning through the event’s livestream. Many users have levied concerns about the possibility of catfishing or that minors would be able to access the new game mode. While nothing has been released yet to address the former complaint, the latter is somewhat quelled by the fact that in order for someone to access this game mode, they would need to become a verified user which includes submitting a photo of a government-issued ID. In spite of this safety measure, many are left unconvinced.
Online dating has existed in its current form since 1995 when Match.com was first introduced and has exploded in popularity ever since. Today, 39 percent of U.S. heterosexual couples met online and, since COVID, it has become more difficult than ever to find your special someone. Whether it is on Roblox, in the Metaverse or elsewhere, it may be time to confront the reality that online interactive software is the future of dating and relationships.
By Noah Tetreault