If historical trends are anything to go by, most young people in the United States will not vote at this week’s presidential election. For example, at the 2016 presidential election, less than half of Americans aged 18 to 29 cast their ballot. But a new campaign on the hugely popular online gaming platform Roblox aims to encourage young people in the US to get out and exercise their democratic right on Tuesday.
The “Virtual Vote” initiative is a partnership between Roblox game developers and a national political non-profit organisation called HeadCount . It has already engaged thousands of Roblox users – and it may mark the beginning of an entirely new way young people worldwide learn about and engage with real-life politics. The ultimate virtual universe Roblox is an online gaming platform where people can create an avatar, play a library of user-created games and socialise.
Its developers describe it as the “ the ultimate virtual universe ”. It has roughly 79.5 million reported daily users globally and is valued at US$38 billion .
The online gaming platform is especially popular among young people. However, it also poses a number of safety risks, including grooming and cyberbullying. Because of this, some governments have cracked down on Roblox.
For example, earlier this year, it was banned in Turkey . Now the 2024 US presidential election has also entered the Roblox virtual gaming universe. From games to politics Virtual Vote is billed as the “first immersive.
