Connected Play in Virtual Worlds: Communication and Control Mechanisms in Virtual Worlds for Children and Adolescents

Figure 6. 
A screenshot of the most restricted option of contact settings from the 
Roblox
Privacy 
Setting Page. 
In contrast to 
Whyville
and 
Autcraft
, 
Roblox
has different types of gameplay and com-
munity structures, such as “Roblox Groups,” that support players to network and build 
friendships. On the 
Roblox
website, players can join to play different games in a small 
group of 15 people and/or join 
Roblox
groups to meet players who are interested in playing 
similar games as well as creating objects and constructing virtual play environments by 
working together. It is crucial to discuss these structures, as new opportunities for com-
munication and social interaction typically emerge in these 
Roblox groups
that 
Roblox 
users 
are affiliated with. Within these established groups, players can take on new roles and 
receive rewards by earning points and/or game badges. For example, in combat games 
(Natural Disaster Survival, Zombie Strike), players can team up and join combat to earn 
badges based on achievement accomplished (e.g., number of disasters survived, type of 
defeated Zombies) [99,100]. In the social game “Work at a Pizza Place,” players can take 
on different roles at a restaurant to fulfill food orders and use work earnings to upgrade 
houses and buy furniture [101]. In a 
Roblox
Group called “Paragon”—a group for simula-
tion games with more than 859k+ members, players can communicate (e.g., leave com-
ments) and trade (e.g., buy from the store) with other players, and can also receive badges 
associated with different roles [102]. For instance, players with a manager status can give 
a bonus check to 15 other players as managers. 
Figure 6.
A screenshot of the most restricted option of contact settings from the
Roblox
Privacy
Setting Page.
In contrast to
Whyville
and
Autcraft
,
Roblox
has different types of gameplay and
community structures, such as “Roblox Groups,” that support players to network and
build friendships. On the
Roblox
website, players can join to play different games in a small
group of 15 people and/or join
Roblox
groups to meet players who are interested in playing
similar games as well as creating objects and constructing virtual play environments
by working together. It is crucial to discuss these structures, as new opportunities for
communication and social interaction typically emerge in these
Roblox groups
that
Roblox
users are affiliated with. Within these established groups, players can take on new roles
and receive rewards by earning points and/or game badges. For example, in combat
games (Natural Disaster Survival, Zombie Strike), players can team up and join combat
to earn badges based on achievement accomplished (e.g., number of disasters survived,
type of defeated Zombies) [
99
,
100
]. In the social game “Work at a Pizza Place,” players
can take on different roles at a restaurant to fulfill food orders and use work earnings to
upgrade houses and buy furniture [
101
]. In a
Roblox
Group called “Paragon”—a group for
simulation games with more than 859k+ members, players can communicate (e.g., leave
comments) and trade (e.g., buy from the store) with other players, and can also receive
badges associated with different roles [
102
]. For instance, players with a manager status
can give a bonus check to 15 other players as managers.
Some games emerged from these
Roblox
groups that have invented new gameplay
interaction and mechanics. Figure
7
illustrates a screenshot from a
Roblox
game called
“Shouting Simulator” [
103
] in which a player (in this case, the researcher displayed as an
avatar with red hair) can click on an icon to shout “oof” in communication with other
players within the free chat. This game builds upon a game mechanic of “shouting to other
players” and offers a multimodal communication in which audio/voice can be created
and integrated directly into the play experience. As depicted in Figure
7
, the researcher
has only one sound, “oof,” from the freemium sound library but could gain points by
using the sounds more and/or purchasing more sounds from the store to play with other
players. Using only one sound or purchasing “shouts” may not convey the same type of

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Multimodal Technol. Interact.
2021
,
5
, 27
15 of 22
information compared to text chat (which is available via the second icon on the top left).
However, using different types of “shouts” can become a way of calling others’ attention to
another distant player; in the context of this game, it helps to create a new form of verbal
communications (e.g., mimic animal sounds) that is different from conventional voice chat
compared to gameplay in other VW platforms.
Multimodal Technol. Interact. 
2021
, 
5
, x FOR PEER REVIEW 
15 of 22 
Some games emerged from these 
Roblox 
groups that have invented new gameplay 
interaction and mechanics. Figure 7 illustrates a screenshot from a 
Roblox 
game called
 
“Shouting Simulator” [103] in which a player (in this case, the researcher displayed as an 
avatar with red hair) can click on an icon to shout “oof” in communication with other 
players within the free chat. This game builds upon a game mechanic of “shouting to other 
players” and offers a multimodal communication in which audio/voice can be created and 
integrated directly into the play experience. As depicted in Figure 7, the researcher has 
only one sound, “oof,” from the freemium sound library but could gain points by using 
the sounds more and/or purchasing more sounds from the store to play with other play-
ers. Using only one sound or purchasing “shouts” may not convey the same type of infor-
mation compared to text chat (which is available via the second icon on the top left). How-
ever, using different types of “shouts” can become a way of calling others’ attention to 
another distant player
;
in the context of this game, it helps to create a new form of verbal 
communications (e.g., mimic animal sounds) that is different from conventional voice chat 
compared to gameplay in other VW platforms.