Values in Action – Respect the Community: The Roblox Game Jam

At its core, Roblox is a values-driven company. Our values determine how we work together, find and grow the right talent, and define our own vision of success. One of those values is to Respect the Community: we consider our impact on the world, strive to respect everyone’s best interests, and communicate authentically. Our community includes Roblox creators, developers, users, and employees. 

Zooming In: Roblox’s Developer and Creator Community

Developers and creators are integral parts of the Roblox community. We wouldn’t have a product without them, so understanding their needs, minimizing their overhead, and making their experience both seamless and productive are all key priorities.

One way we do this is through our communications touchpoints: keeping an open dialogue with our creators and developers through focus groups and our DevForum. But we also believe in understanding the product by using it ourselves. Our internal Game Jams offer one example of how we get in touch with our developer community’s workflow through direct, hands-on experience. 

Supporting Developers and Creators with Game Jams

“Game Jams” are a long-standing industry tradition that’s been a part of Roblox’s culture since the beginning. One of our most well-known Game Jams is held annually, usually in conjunction with the Roblox Developers Conference, and challenges teams of developers to show off their skills and win awards by creating amazing Roblox experiences in a short window of time. 

Internally, we use Game Jams as an opportunity to work within the product under pressure. This helps us appreciate the strengths of Roblox Studio and other tools we provide, but it also serves to highlight areas where we can make improvements and strive for an even more seamless experience. 

Many groups within Roblox hold Game Jams throughout the year. A recent Jam held by our Creator Group helped us identify hundreds of small issues, many of which have now been addressed to significantly improve the experience of both creators and devs. 

Last December, we held a Game Jam where our CTO and the VPs of our major Product and Engineering groups squared off with creations of their own. By including even our most senior leaders in the Game Jams, we ensure that everybody at Roblox is able to empathize with our developers and creators and to understand their daily workflow.

Because the more we understand our community, the more we can support them—and the more we support their vision, innovation, and ambitious goals, the further we’ll go together.

Take a Peek Behind-the-Scenes of Our Engineering and Product VP Game Jam

“[Game Jams] allow our Engineering and Product leads to really understand what our product is like today, so that they can guide our Groups to improve tools and technology and ensure that in the future our developers have an even better experience on the platform.”

– Brad Johanson, Chief of Staff to the CTO

Learn More

Want to work at a values-driven company that puts community first? Explore our open opportunities here: careers.roblox.com.