Spotlight: Three Teens Use ROBLOX to Ignite Careers

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ROBLOX is many things to many people. To some, ROBLOX is a simple and dynamic service that provides hours of gaming entertainment. To those willing to invest a bit more time, ROBLOX is a tool for creative expression. And to a select few, ROBLOX has become a jump off point to careers in programming, gaming, and even literature. Our “Spotlight” segment features author/programmer Brandon LaRouche, and programmers Alex Binello and Seth Tyler. 

After receiving an iPod Touch for Christmas in 2009, Brandon LaRouche, known in ROBLOX as CowBear16, was eager to find a ROBLOX application in the app store.

“When I mentioned to my dad that there was no ROBLOX application, he suggested that I learn to make one. So he took me to the book store and I bought an iOS programming book,” recalls LaRouche.

By the Fall of 2010, LaRouche had become a registered iOS developer, and began developing ROBLOX applications for use with mobile devices.

An active ROBLOX user since 2008, LaRouche and his twin brother Ryan quickly familiarized themselves with Lua and began creating games. LaRouche had learned how to code, and program, by reading various books on the subject matter. Having learned to do so much from reading books, LaRouche suddenly had an idea.

“I was motivated by users that simply didn’t know where to begin,” says LaRouche. “My goal was to create a book that was easy to understand, and simple enough to grab the attention of beginning ROBLOX users who were confused by the language.”

So, at 16-years old, LaRouche wrote “Basic ROBLOX Lua Programming”, and has already sold 256 copies, both online on Amazon.com, and in-person at our recent ROBLOX Game Conference. A sentence from the introduction reads: “One of ROBLOX’s main achievements is the introduction of coding to a young user base.”

LaRouche has big plans for the future—he recently submitted a ROBLOX iPad application that lets users specify, generate, and export the Lua code to drive ROBLOX GUI’s. He is also planning on continuing his career as a writer, and is currently working on a new book for intermediate users.

“ROBLOX motivated me to keep learning how to program, and showed me that hard work brings success,” says LaRouche. “With the money I’ve made, I now have a legalized LLC, a new Mac, and I’ve spread my apps to multiple platforms.”

17-year-old programmer Alex Binello has a lot on his mind, which becomes evident when you have a conversation with him. He speaks quickly, often shifting gears during a story, before swinging back around full-circle.

Binello, or alexnewtron in the world of ROBLOX, has developed quite the list of accomplishments. He was honored with our Game Developer of the Year Award in 2011—many of the games he created, like DODGEBALL, Oranges to Oranges, and Four Corners are massively popular titles on ROBLOX with huge followings.

“What drew me in was that I saw that you could actually make games,” recalls Binello. “So I started making games; simple ones at first. Then one of them hit the front page.”

Binello found that the Lua scripting language was surprisingly similar to languages he had already learned. And, though Binello continues to be an active user in the gaming community, ROBLOX acted as a catalyst for something new and exciting.

Social Meeps is a—surprise–social “hangout” website where you can create customizable circular avatars called “meeps” and hang out in a variety of virtual environments. It also features in-game currency that can be used to purchase items for your meep, whether that’s new body types, hats, glasses or faces. Legacy items become available for a short period of time, and can be re-sold at a later date for more money—a notion Binello gleaned from ROBLOX.

Binello, along with long-time friend and programmer Seth Tyler (who’s 14-years-old by the way), created the website from scratch in January, using skills they had developed using the ROBLOX platform.

Alex Binello, Seth Tyler, and Brandon LaRouche personify the values we hold ourselves, and our users to, every day at ROBLOX. Whether it’s a new ROBLOX game, a website, a new mobile app, or a book, we’re all about creating things, and we’re thrilled to see that ROBLOX has inspired these teens to do just that.

344 thoughts on “Spotlight: Three Teens Use ROBLOX to Ignite Careers”

  2. i love to build in roblox my dream is to become an admin or moderator in EBR but i dont have time to build an entryfor EBR

  4. i cant believe those teens are doing that thats so awesome :] teens rock woooooooo

  5. Please fix the exploiting/hacking problem ROBLOX team!I almost got hacked myself,but luckily avoided it.Once I went to 5 games in a row.All exploited.And the scams on place comments.They are getting annoying and ruining people’s lives.Please fix this problem!Also,there is a huge ODing problem with this game.Please try and find a just punishment for those who are hacking,exploiting,scamming,and ODing.I have made a video on my Youtube channel:FutureUniverse76 of a exploiter caught,and even a ODer!But…in the ODing video…the guy was a girl when I looked him up..I will keep looking for Hackers/Exploiters etc and put it on my channel for proof.Want the Lua Book?You will probably find it on Amazon.com!Or,go to:roblowwiki.com :)

  7. Now I know how complex ROBLOX is. All the scripting and GUI’s and stuff like that. But now people took it to the next level by hacking…. ROBLOX please make a blog post about how to stop hacking. Many would appreciate it.

  12. Im speed5231 on ROBLOX.com id really like to be a moderator on roblox if i get famous id be happy id also like to be a moderator because of my sence of feeling for it its 3D and i like ROBLOX for a reason i play all day everyday although my brother orbmaster5231 gets on every once in a while! thnx please PM me to reply to this note! i need to know this question!!!

      • I think ROBLOX should add car noises to all of the vehicles such as,monster trucks,trucks,cars,jeeps,etc.

    • Please let me work for roblox i may have started in 2009 but i have learn`t so much in that time also i play loads of games to increase my knowledge,and ro-soccer is 1 of my favorites.So please allow me to work for roblox.
      Thank you,quik99

  17. I have wanted to work for ROBLOX since I made my first account in 2007. Please see this! PLEASE LET ME WORK FOR ROBLOX! This site is awesome, and hackers annoy me!

  20. Guys I know how to fix Studio 1) Go to your desktop 2) Right click on the Studio icon 3) Click Properties 4) Click Compatability 5) Click the arrow 6) Click 98/ME

  23. I Think I Might Get The Book, But They Might Not Sell It In The UK -_-’

  24. Cool! If only I could do scripting, but it doesn’t work on my computer! ROBLOX STUDIO doesn’t work, and it’s an apple MacBook! :(

  25. roblox is a great game where you can express your ideas my old character smartman7 he was my first character ive been playing like ever since 2007 ive seen big changes but i miss roblox 2007 i wish they kept roblox the same version from 2007 they can make new updates except in a 2007 way

  26. i want the book so bad uhhhh im going on Amazon.com to buy it :/ only i my mom lets me.

  27. For all the people who say that they can’t script, or are having trouble with scripting, don’t give up. Anyone can script, some may learn slower than others, and that is normal. I think I may be one of those slow learners, who has to re read stuff over and over again, but eventually, I got most of the things from the Basic ROBLOX Lua Programming book. So for all you people that want to code, but feel as though you can’t, try again and again till you get it. After all, that’s the main thing about coding, you have to try it again and again.

  28. roblox is the best super duper cooll 10000000% cooll
    al the day i play roblox to the morning and to the night when i say morning 8:10 to 12:30 or 2:45 when friday 4:50 roblox for life i invite my friend to have a acount love it roblox why roblox is so cool cooll love it 5 thing i love its – chick and ferrari and roblox – and drake from cash money record and my best friend that all wait im from aruba santa cruz city aruba

  30. floppy, ikr! i can onlyt modle! i can maker you a fighter jet, but i will have to use somebody elses script for it…MAN I NEED THAT BOOK!

  34. The book is good. I have a copy on my kindle, and I’ve learned a bit. I can’t do anything without it though. I just can’t remember all the needs of punctuation and strings and variables and stuff. I don’t even have a Veteran badge yet. I’m a failure when it comes to scripting. Want a house? Want a tree? Want a baseplate? A temple? Those, I can build you. But I simply cannot script.

    • Ive read the sample on my kindle but the sample doesnt help much -_-But I can script a little

  36. I have the book it is so awesome! I was waiting for the time when he is recognized by Roblox, and it has come!

  38. Good for them. But, this exploit issue is rocketing and I want it fixed. A ton of my places have been stolen from me already.

  40. Your roblox studio update about any thing that was was made today and expires on july 27th,PLEASE MAKE IT CHOOSEABLE.IT HAS NOW GLITCHED ROBLOX STUDIOS.ERRORS ARE POPPING UP.

  41. I can’t fing the roblox app on the app store? and how much people got it? How much does it cost

  43. ok seriously can you guys fix all of these issues?
    1.Exploiting
    2.RobloxPlayer will only luanch explorer
    3.Many Roblox Studio2 glitches.
    4.JaredValdez4
    5.Game Copying

  44. I was on amazon.com, i was looking for something like ROBLOX Cards so that i wouldn’t have to go to the store, and the only thing i got was that book, i haven’t bought the book yet.

  46. If you want the book and dont want to spend the money. Just read the lua part of the Roblox Wiki.

  47. If you don’t have money or don’t want to use money, just go to the Roblox Wiki. That has everything a beginner needs to know and more, so check it out. wiki.roblox.com

  51. Wow, I never thought a social gaming sight could actually lead to people jump starting careers for future development in the realm of electronic technology…Great work.

  52. I got good enough at scripting just 7 months ago, but have rapidly progressed from where I started.

  54. I understand basic code the first thing I have created was a brick that when touched by your robloxian turns all the colors of the rainbow now I’m thinking about makeing a game where you can program the game basically by yourself upswing an interactive screen GUI with help by PixieLover

  55. Social Meeps ??? i went to it but i have no firefox or google chrome :( that sucks but it shows the person in a :( hat!!

  56. Roblox.Please start stopping these exploits.Stop ignoreing us and think “Oh they can wait.”PLEASE DROP ALL OF THIS OTHER JUNK AND START FIXING EXPOITS.I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THINKING THIS ROBLOX START FIXING THIS NOW!!!

  59. I first saw ROBLOX just surfing the web when i was about 12. I wasn’t able to actually able to sign up until the following year in April. I am 15 now, I will be 16 in November this year of 2012 (if everything doesn’t explode first). And ever since, I have always loved the variety of games that come from teens’ minds like-wise to my own. I bought this book a few weeks ago, and I just learned about Brandon LaRouche. So that was kind of cool. But no matter what downfall I may endure, I always look forward to hanging out with my friends, and my best friend that I haven’t met offline yet, Awesometermenator. Everybody here has a dream, and because of ROBLOX, some of those dreams of come true. Thank you so, so much ROBLOX crew, because you allowed this to happen. I will always remember ROBLOX, and the awesome people who made it, even when I go into my 30′s. Thank you.

    • Yeah the exploiting and hacking issue us going wacky.Can you please fix it!It would mean a lot to ROBLOX users around the world. And cool things. I bet you they would make a new website for kids and teens someday in 2015 or something like that. ^_^

    • Dude the expliting problem mainly comes from dlls. I know this because my friend is an exploiter. They would have to reset everything on ROBLOX to fix it.

  61. I need one of the lua books because i wanna learn lua but lua learners website ist help so im going to cheeck amazon for his book and ill buy a copy or get one for my birthday in a week!!!

  70. I like the way that he’s becoming successful. I am trying to learn LUA, since I know how to use Command Promft, or CMD. I have wanted to learn the language since I was 8 yrs. old. I am 13 now, so I want to learn the language. I am hoping that CowBear16 can teach me how to script.