Here at ROBLOX, one of our goals is to make your world-building experience easy, flexible and fun. We’ve got teams of developers working tirelessly to ensure that creating and sharing games is a seamless experience, and that the tools you need are both user-friendly and deep.
And though ROBLOX users now create millions of games per year, we can’t take credit for inventing user-generated gaming. User-generated content has existed in the realm of video games for decades, though only a small fraction of gamers had the technical know-how to truly embrace the idea.
Still, we think the games that encouraged user-generated content instilled key values that inspired us to become who we are today. So we thought we’d take a fond look back at some of those ground-breaking games, and share them with you. Enjoy.
1983: Bill Budge’s Pinball Construction Set
You could argue that this simple game built the groundwork for user-generated games as a whole. Bill Budge, inspired by his previous Apple II creation Raster Blaster, wanted to create a game that featured open-ended development tools that could allow users to create and customize their own pinball machines. What he created was ingenious in its simplicity–you started with a blank table, and simply dragged and dropped each of the pieces from an inventory of items to the right. Though the “drag and drop” concept may seem archaic now, it was a radical notion at the time.
1991: ZZT
Before creating the ground-breaking Unreal series, Tim Sweeny developed ZZT. The game is notable for numerous reasons, the biggest being that its object-oriented scripting language, which became known as ZZT-OOP, allowed for an unprecedented amount of creative control. This gave users the ability to create a wide range of virtual settings, leading, inevitably, to lots of different types of games, including shooters, RPGs and strategy. Similar to proceedings here at ROBLOX, Sweeney encouraged registered users to build their own virtual worlds and send them to him directly, culminating in the release of The Best of ZZT a few years later.
1995: Active Worlds
Originally designed to be a 3D version of a 2D web browser, Active Worlds was one of the premiere virtual reality platforms of the 90s. It included many of the capabilities web browsers had at the time, like voice chat and instant messaging, but users were able to build 3D structures using a myriad of different supported scripts, including trueSpace and DirectX. They could then share their worlds with the community. On a smaller scale, Active Worlds also allowed users to share custom-built objects with one another.
1996: Quake
The first-person shooter that changed it all, Quake was one the first shooters to feature
an openly accessible scripting language known as QuakeC. Initially, modders manipulated the code to address minor bugs and make small changes; it wasn’t long before more experienced modders had turned Quake into an entirely different beast. Team Fortress, a game that heralded the introduction of class-based multiplayer in the realm of first-person shooters, was one of the most played Quake mods of all time, and acted as a catalyst to one of the most popular first-person franchises of our current day and age.
1998: Half-Life
Whether or not Half-Life was the biggest first-person shooter of all time is up for debate, but it was surely the most modified. Valve released their software development kit to throngs of eager modders in 1998, and they delivered.
The biggest mod became known as Counter-Strike, an online team-deathmatch that pit the world’s finest special-forces against the world’s surliest of terrorists. Other huge multiplayer titles that were built around the Half-Life Source Engine included Team Fortress Classic, Day of Defeat, Vikings and Knights, and They Hunger, just to name a few.
2002: Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights was a third-person RPG that shipped with a module-making system called the Aurora toolset, which essentially allowed users to create a wide range of custom content in-game. Users were able to create maps and objects using a complex tile system, and could even run cut scenes and mini games using the built-in scripting language. The toolset was a massive success among the modding community; users began creating new races, classes, and villains to battle, in addition to new worlds and weapons. Two years and thousands of mods later, BioWare bundled their favorite pieces of fan-made material into the Community Expansion Pack as a free DLC.
2003: Second Life
Probably one of the most controversial titles to come along in some time (to say some people got a little too into it is an understatement), Second Life was undeniably customizable, featuring a three-dimensional modeling tool that allowed users to build characters, environments, and virtual objects. What set Second Life apart from other similar titles, aside from its eventual massive surge in popularity, was that users could create things outside of Second Life and import their creations back into the game.
2008: LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet finally gave console gamers a taste of what it’s like to share their creations. The biggest and most complex aspect of LittleBigPlanet was the World Builder, where you can design a level, of any size, and fill it with obstacles, tools, villains and puzzles, then share that world with others via the Playstation Network. On a much smaller level, LittleBigPlanet also allowed users to change the look of their “sack people” as well, allowing customizations of hair, eyes, and even facial expressions.
2011: Minecraft
Minecraft is a sandbox game in every sense of the word, allowing users to create anything using thousands of differently textured cubes. Though it was originally developed to let users create and explore 3D worlds, many modders found ways to utilize the system to create some complex pieces of architecture. Minecraft didn’t just please modders with its nearly infinite capability to create objects and landmarks, either—the in-game physics engine allowed hardcore users to build creations that moved, like working computational engines and even a scalable version of the Enterprise! Ultimately, Minecraft became not just a game, but an ever-evolving challenge for modders to one-up each other in a virtual world.
in a few years roblox will turn into second-life
heres my list best to worst through these games 1.minecraft 2.little big planet 1&2 3. everything else LAST but not lest…… >ROBLOX<
DONT FORGET ABOUT VVVVVV BY TERRY CAVANAGH!!! AN UPDATED VERSION OF IT FEATURED A LEVEL BUILDER (but it’s not on the 3ds version yet cmon people buy it cuz nintendo said they would put it in if it was a good enough seller)
THOUGH I THINK IT HAD TO HAVE A LITTLE LUA
STOP THE NEW UPDATES ON CHANGING ROBLOXWE MISS THE OLD ROBLOX 2007 IT WAS FUN AT THAT TIME IMTILL NEW BODYS CAME OUT IS CALLED ROBLOX FOR A REASON PEOPLE
Well if you add Half-Life, then you may as well add all other Valve games because their all moddable from HL to Left 4 dead to portal to even garrys mod itself. Modding a Mod! :D
almost evreyone is playing MINECRAFT. i dont know what is fun about this so i join ROBLOX the best computer game EVER even if i Dont have NBC,TBC or OBC
But i would love to have one of them :)
Minecraft is 2009…not 2011….FTW?
The updated version, the one you could actually purchase, is 2011.
:| Why I ushaly get all exited about new roblox. But this time I just like the avrige roblox. We dont want our magnificant sight like all other games! We want to keep roblox as It originaly was supose to be! This time I put my foot down and say No to the new “HIGH QUALITY” Games :|
Garry’s Mod should be added if they have half-life.
I thought ROBLOX and MINECRAFT were enemies, anyway, I’ve seen MINECRAFT, it’s not a sandbox, you need to find everything, or in creative, you can’t make your own character!
You don’t customize your character like you do in Roblox. You have to use either use Paint Program, Gimp, ect. or download a skin from the Internet. :/
If Half-life is here Half-life 2 should also be here!
Gah, I remember NeverWinter..
It was awesome.
Justa bout the bes RPG in existance.
Ohh yeah, NeverWinter was beast. The historical champion of TRUE Role-Playing Games.
Probably ’cause the inventors of Dungeon & Dragons, the table-top RPG that ‘geeks’ that used to and some still do play.
Without half life 1,there wouldn’t be half life 2,
THANK YOU VALVE!
For my dad,half life 2 is the best FPS ever created.
Minecraft and Roblox are off the hook!!!!
My friend plays Neverwinter Nights.
Roblox is awesome, but getting worse, and worse, and worse, That i may quit soon.
I know what you mean- and it isn’t necessarily the updates- the players are getting harder and harder for me to stand.
I agree, the updates are getting worse and non of them are fixing hacks and exploits. The only updates that I noticed only made ROBLOX worse.
I play Minecraft, and I used to play ROBLOX back in 2008-09/10, and ROBLOX paved the way to my gaming lifestyle. I really enjoyed gaming and building with my friends, and in all thoughts, when a ROBLOX game isn’t copied and complete and utter poop, you can have lots of fun. After I quit ROBLOX (I check on it every now and then), I found Minecraft, but one of the reasons for that is because of ROBLOX. I thank ROBLOX for introducing me to gaming.
It’s cool to see that though Minecraft is new, it’s modded a lot due to it’s simplicity, rather than it being a good game. I’m quite sure it’s harder to code games like Half-Life, and you also need to make good-looking graphical objects, whilst in Minecraft all you need to do is make some blocks.
ROBLOX’s community and that they are making it harder to use the building tools (at least access them from the direct site, anymore) are annoying, but the capability of ROBLOX is outstanding for a game directed more at children, and for hardcore programmers, older players, too. MineCraft, on the other hand, has a much simplier programming system, Redstone, but is extremely limited, though architectural designs and mods are, for the most part, limitless, minus details, where ROBLOX has the upper hand. Alas, MineCraft has more promise in map size, unlike ROBLOX, in that you could have a rather extensive map with very few issues, whereas ROBLOX would have framerate issues as it increases the CPU to unstable levels or slows down the server. Ultimately, it’s up to the players what they are up to doing, as boths games have one-ups on each other in different aspects.
True. You cant access Studio from game menu. I can see why roblox did that, in game mode, it had a simple little lock, in studio mode, I looked at playerGUI for it, … e.e i saw why hackers started being more popular. Somewhat easy coding but still. In build mode you cant get in game with the tools.
In that 2003 pic i thought ladys pants fall down ;/
Minecraft and ROBLOX FTW! :D :3
I play both minecraft (xbox 360) and roblox (obviously).
me too except i do pc for minecraft
I play minecraft on pe.
Why does it say 2011 for Minecraft?
It has been out since 2009…
Wow a game with marriges o.e grose
I would choose ROBLOX over anygame in the world
same
no way i would pick lego universe put they shut down
I AGREE
i mean i pick roblox it is super
like it
I noticed a pattern in the game throughout those years. The pinball game was just a simple 2D user generated game. Same as Zzt. Then from Active Worlds to Minecraft, the user generated games became more 3D and had more complex tools.
You forgot all the modding in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Modding Rocks!
Why call of duty Modern Warfare? Dude,that game isn’t one that did anything about ”The games that paved the way for user generated gaming”,well,me i say they should have added Doom,the first FPS ever created.
Oh my I dont like minecraft at all there sqaure heads were anything heads LOL.
What about Brick-Force?
That is a copy of ROBLOX. Or Minecraft. I don’t know.
That’s copied off of ROBLOX, and no one enjoys the game.
You wish. Brick-Force was made entirly out of korean code. It was released in korea in 2000, and was just recently made for america. Look it up before just saying things.
i saw one of my friends playing mindcraft but i like roblox and mindcraft 50%50
Same here,except I actaully play MC,and,by the way,it’s spelt “MineCraft”.
ME too!!!
How intresting.
ROBLOX and Minecraft are competitor’s right? If I had to make a choice, I choose roblox because there is always new stuff to see =P
I agree!
The fact that ROBLOX allows users to build their own world, and give them the ability to script, ultimately makes ROBLOX the winner because of all of the diversity created through the imagination and talent ROBLOX users have to offer using scripting an building together
Minecraft has always new stuff to see too. Plus,you can get more than what roblox can offer with all the mods.
then again you can create more things roblox has to offer with scripts and there are always things to do with roblox when you play it because it’s diffrent scenarie diffrent world’s minecraft has the same scenarie and the only new thing is structure’s you can run out of idea’s in minecraft in roblox you cant because in roblox you can copy stuff off games you like and not get sued
ROBLOX is good for a vaule you can give friends and the ease of customablity. You can simply help in Minecraft (without the chat presets getting in the way of helping younger players) but ROBLOX has it’s own unique style of user fueled imagnation that can only be brought from a child.
Acutally, their is not always new stuff to see, it’s just a bunch of copies, I’m sorry, but that’s how I see roblox now. A plethera of copied games.
truth!
Btw, MineCraft is not free, and for me, ROBLOX, will still be the Best for me :D
That’s it I quit roblox. I come on once in awhile to see if it’s not screwed in the head anymore. it was a good run. I’ll keep the software on my computer for my little brother. Then when he gets his own I am uninstalling it. NOT KIDDING! I’ll look for some I quit clothes.
ROBLOX and Minecraft aren’t competitors, their just different games that are somewhat similar and people just keep argueing which is better.
I just like how it’s easier to do multiplayer in Roblox.
blarhg :3 i think about quitting ROBLOX. :3
Just check on updates or start scripting
This is a lovely perspective of roblox. I’ve been with us since about late 2009, and I’ve seen how we’ve changed from a regular website to one with millions of people. It’s amazing how much has changed in just a few short years! Keep it up, ROBLOX staff!
I agree but some things that have changed i miss like the disabling of Insert Service
and studio mode in build
IVE BEEN PLAYING SINCE LATE 2007 UNTILL THEY MADE ROBLOX A HORRABLE WEBSITE IT WAS A LOT BETTER BACK THEN
ROBLOX AND MINECRAFT ARE EPIC!
if u had hair XD
i suggest we all go on a roblox strike and play minecraft until roblox focuses on the community
they either focus on us or we stop playing
You do know the community can’t get better unless we start helping people and noobs who call everyone noobs to make them have friends
They can’t change the community because its how the players act they act however they want so we ought a be nice or don’t be nice
He is talking about how roblox treats the community. They act like we don’t care. Whats so good about valve and mojang is they take all of there ideas from the community using community forums, roblox just messes up there game.
The community can’t be changed,if it did,it would be a miracle of the internet though :P
But we tried,we failed.
We lost the game,that’s how it works :(
This is a great idea. Somebody should make a server dedicated to protesting against ROBLOX. The longer Roblox ignores the protesting, the more insulting the server gets. We can film the protests, and upload them to Youtube. We could even make places with pictures of the protests.
Why make the server for protest?! Go to RGC and talk to them in person at one of their user-feedback sessions. I am going, and I could be a representative for you guys if you want.
LittleBigPlanet has finally been notified.Yush.
(Also my roblox name is Sackboy971 named after Sackpeople on LittleBigPlanet.) X3
I doesn’t like LittleBigPlanet though :/
Who ever said roblox better and that must be 8 V_V
And who ever said minecraft better must be like 20,15 i pick minecraft ^.^
Well, the game is centered around children of that age group. And there are people younger than 15 or 20 that play minecraft. Well, it’s unknown what majority the age group is on a game. The point is, your enforcing cyber bulling based on your opinion and age group. Just stop. No one cares how old you are based on what game you play.
I want to thank for roblox for making me happy. now im 12 Yrs Old. But im Still Playing Roblox .
ive hated roblox for months now builder club this builder club there… oh i wanna play a game…….. oh i cant cuz it says a error roblox has started to suck to me cuz of this minecraft is way better than roblox till they fix this
I don’t think ROBLOX HAS an age limit! I know of plenty of people who are older than 15 Lol!
You are still permitted to play ROBLOX,even if you are 12,but maybe because that you are 12,you could have the experience of more multiplayer games such as Minecraft!