Why Exactly Do We Prefer Old Roblox Over The 'Modern' Version?

Old Roblox Was Better, specifically from 2015 - 2018. This may be a common argument you've come across while playing Roblox. But have you ever asked why people say this?
Many say they prefer the old community while others think the games were simply better. I think the answer lies between both of those. and I'll be going in-depth on why that is the case.

Massive thanks to @toastedcherries for allowing me to use some of their music!

#roblox #robloxgames #robloxtrend #oldroblox #newroblox
Why Do People Enjoy Old Roblox but Dislike The Current Version?
Why Exactly Do We Prefer Old Roblox Over The 'Modern' Version?
Why Old Roblox Was Better to Most Players
#videoessay #informative #nostalgia #classicroblox

[duskdweeb]

The reason why people love old Roblox is how experimental they were and each game feels different, unlike the ones we have now.

[JawZGames]

I joined around 2009-2010.
My current problem with Roblox is the games feel manufactured. The games are made for profit first, addiction second, fun third. In the past due to the limited currency you could earn typically most games were created as fun hobby games, that were equally as fun to create as it was to play. Now most games are typically just filled with microtransactions to get anywhere. I typically find myself coming back to old games (Despite some scripts being broken) not just for reasons of nostalgia, but because sometimes I enjoy the more immediate fun of them. You can't find games like those anymore, and most games feel grindy and boring, and almost like mobile games. It comes to a point I'd rather just go and play other games instead, which is why I play Roblox less and less over time, since I can get the same general gameplay loop and experience of what I find on Roblox's same top games with generic mobile games.

No search features makes it harder to weed out old and even some new high quality games, so you're forced to play the same top games over and over, and searching only gets you content farms with sometimes zero relevance to what you search. The only new games that reach the top are just based on other IP's. It just brings me great pain honestly, since experimentation and creativity are dead in exchange for profit.

[sprite_eater]

Great video, I joined Roblox in around 2016-2017 and It warms my heart to see games from back then still running, like Lumber Tycoon 2, Normal Elevator, Natural Disaster survival, and don't forget the core games those were the funnest thing in the world. Unfortunately those games are in the minority and has had decreasing player counts which make me sad.

[avena]

It was never that the games were better, it was the atmosphere and personality of the platform. Everything used to be about making friends and having fun instead of getting into your wallet and making others mad.

[ellienonekomimi]

I like the identity roblox made for their games with the built-in textures. Just feels so unique in a way, however archaic they might seem now. I think that’s just nostalgia speaking tho

[whact]

what i love about old roblox compared to modern roblox is actually just how it looked, i love the goofy but fun aesthetic of the older roblox versions

plus i really like how the old lighting looked like

[ceoofmemes]

I'm so glad this video was made.

It's crazy because "old roblox" to me is not 2015-18, it's more 2012-15.

You hit the nail when about the players > profits.

The problem is that now, developing games is a job, not a hobby.
The average developer was about 14-25 (pushing it). Now they're literal adults. That isn't bad, but that means there's no connection. Back then, you actually could MEET a big developer in a game, either their own or another's. Now they just develop, collect cash and that's it.
And this means adults just copy the most popular game (tower defense, roleplay, anime battle bullshit) and make big bucks.

Keep in mind, back then, gamepasses BARELY hit the 400 robux mark. I bought "Enforcer's Powers" for a HS game for about 500 robux. that same gamepass right now is 1500 robux, a 200% increase. Why? The gamepass is even weaker if you compare it.
I remember thinking 200 robux gamepasses were expensive, now we have gamepasses in the TEN THOUSANDS. That's CRAZY. This is a game for KIDS, not fully grown adults. You're enticing a child to pay almost 100 dollars for a game that may or may not last a few years.

The vast majority of old developers are either gone, or have changed. Work At a Pizza Place used to be a COMPLETELY FREE GAME. There was HARDLY ANY customization, but it was FUN. People didn't just show off their stupid houses, they actually PLAYED.

I met some of my best friends on ROBLOX, and as far as community, more vile things were said because players usually were 12-16, not 0-10 like it is now. Yes it's targeted towards them, but so is minecraft.

thank you for listening to my rant :)

[Realgabe]

You explained this pretty well in one video, I needed it. In 2021, I made a game and it’s one of those moments where I took it very seriously. It took me months to make this one game and I had a title for it, scripts, buildings, plot, everything; until I lost all my motivation because I had to focus on school or it was family concerns. I still feel to this day, that my motivation caused me to fail on this one project. I still have the game, but I don’t consider to work on it anytime soon.
To everyone: please do not be discouraged, keep working on what you love.

[DionneDion]

I liked it when it was advertised as an "online social hangout", rather than an actual game creating tool for revenue and stuff. Sometimes simplicity is key over hardcore coding and whatever.

[firemaster]

I think that when people say "old Roblox was better" they don't refer to 2010 or something like that. They refer to 3-6 years ago where games could be quite well developed, the community was not as toxic or bad as it tends to be now (as it hadn't aged up so much) and Roblox cared about the community as it was not yet a corporation. At least, that's what I would say for myself.

[MaciekRodriguez]

Reasons why the new Roblox sucks:

1. Roblox now is unfortunately much more corporate. Back in the day, they cared about their community, because it was all they had. They made community events like the easter egg hunt (rip), and genuinely cared about the community. Now they only care about money, they are taking every sponsor they can, and completely forgot what made them good in the first place. They just went corporate, and stopped giving a shit about us, only caring about money.

2. Scummy Roblox developers are (imo) one of the worst things on the platform. Many may not realize, but games like pet simulator x, or practically any other "simulator" is just a cash grab for little kids with access to their mum's credit card. They are easy to make, colorful, simple to play (you just click) and keep little children on their ipads for hours. Some will argue about this, but this is the cancer or roblox. You can't even look at the main page of roblox without seeing these. The ironic thing is, those devs did the same thing as Roblox. Went corporate, without caring about the players, as long as the game is making money.

3. Pedos & Moderation.
With the platform evolving (backwards), so did the players. Along with the wave of children coming to the game, came pedos and pervs. They are hidden under the surface, but if you click through some shady games and groups, you can easily find groups with people trading pictures or fetish games, but ruben sim already made a video on that so I won't bother doing it here.

4. Disappearance of actually good games.
So, you might wonder where are all the good games at. Well, the answer is, that developers that didn't adapt to the clickbaity new nature of roblox, got buried under all of the colorful clickers and simulators. Games like entry point, starbase, or plane crazy (and many more) are all amazing, but they get nowhere near the attention they deserve. It's just sad to see that devs that actually cared about their playerbases and refused to make something 5 year olds would play essentially failed. Games nowadays, or "experiences" as the new corporate roblox calls them just don't form a connection with players, there is no family like vibe, they just feel soulless, cold, because they are just a scummy cash grab.

Let me know if i forgot anything, because that's definitely not everything

[Tranqwhirl]

One point I rarely see people mention, is how unscripted everything was. Back then, any interesting thing that happened in a game was a product of a player's interaction, and not the game in specific. The games built the stage and you performed freely on it. Now, most games put you in the judge seat.

I don't really think "there are no more good games". I think it's more of a community growth issue (in numbers). With more players, naturally more people will use cheap methods or cash grabs, so the ratio of good games to bad ones is wider. Back then there was more visibility for better games.

[luthio]

I joined Roblox in 2013 and I've beem playing it till this day. I could see it evolve but at the same time I was growing up and my perspective on some topics was changing constantly. I cannot say that old Roblox was better compared to the current state of the platform, due to the fact that I'm a different person right now. Once I was hit by nostalgia and tried to find and play the oldest games based on my badges' history. Even though they were simplistic and reminded me of the past, they seemed empty and made me feel bored quite easily. I still wonder why me as a kid, enjoyed such simplicity and lack of innovation. Most of the categories I played were obbies, horrors, shooters, minigames and rpgs and they mostly ran through the same or similar scheme of creating the experience based on a given category. Don't get me wrong, I loved those games and sometimes I tend to play retro-styled ones such as RetroStudio because it reminds me of the beautiful past which made my childhood more colorful.

[matjp]

People don’t take RP serious anymore. There are a lot of kids who just don’t care about it and ruin the fun for everyone

[ZEROSpm]

I love this video, it sums up perfectly why so many people, like myself prefer the gameplay of old roblox. Keep up the great work man and I hope you get to 10k soon! 🙏

[AquaticsByEthan]

Old games were unique. Now they’re all just copy paste anime combat games. Ruined the platform completely

[앤젤]

I'm glad you touched upon the fact that front page for games back then was different from now. I remember discovering so much cool games because the front page always cycled every few weeks or month, the past front page gave new and upcoming game devs a chance to show their creations, and that was also helped by how Roblox ran their events, including these games to encourage players to try the many different games on the platform.

In the present, I have to rely on outside sources like YouTube, Reddit, and etc just so I can find a decent game since the games on the front page are nearly always the same and hasn't changed all that much in the past 3 years.

[jotuunn]

2015 I joined, people were so calm, very little amount of aggressive players, oders were a problem, but they're worse now by 100%. I wish they'd make a separate Roblox 2017 game, where we could go play in that old simple style, and people who prefer 2023 games could stay on the new version

[pupu]

It has been a decade for me. Every footage of the old era here triggers a part of my old memories, forgotten but the feeling still remains and it hurts. Everywhere in the old footage, not exaggerating, like everywhere I looked there. I used to be in those. Nostalgia hits harder as you proceed older. The feeling of having.. "them." slowly fade away without you realising.

[ThePumpkinHeaded]

I joined around the time guests were still a thing in 2017, I joined the platform as a guest aswell. Once I couldn’t play as one, I made my first account. And honestly, while the community was still a bit toxic, people were definitely friendlier and nicer. The first roblox youtuber I watched was EthanGamerTV, and he was the reason I got into Roblox. I know most people consider the golden age of roblox to be somewhere between 2010-2016, but my time on the platform in 2017 will always hold a special place In my heart.