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With gamers spending more time watching others play video games than playing them the industry has become incredibly lucrative.
If you asked a 10-year-old to describe what Preston is it's highly likely they'd talk about the superstar gamer on YouTube - PrestonPlayz - rather than the Lancashire city. Preston Arsement, the gamer's formal name, began his iconic channel in 2012 and is now worth an estimated $50m.
Preston's reach is so extensive that he was cast as a cameo character in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and his videos of him playing Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft have clocked up hundreds of millions of views.
The industry generates revenue through advertising, sponsorships and subscriptions and viewers lap up the interaction between the gamer and audience. Preston is well known for being incredibly successful at this with his witty comments, exaggerated facial expressions and questions aimed directly at his viewers.
Parents may mock a child whose ambition is to reach Preston's level but the commercialisation of interactive video games isn't to be sniffed at. The likes of Roblox and Minecraft have spawned hugely successful movies and, Roblox alone boasts approximately 380 million monthly active users as of 2025.
Legal implications
Roblox users were sent into a flap last month when a viral post suggested the hugely-popular game was being banned in the UK. While the rumours were quickly shut down by Roblox it has faced a series of controversies and it is currently banned in Turkey, China, Oman and Qatar.
Online games are also coming under more scrutiny in the UK with the Online Safety Act leading to tougher restrictions such as Roblox blocking under-13s from messaging each other directly within games without parental consent.
Roblox has also been forced to take action more recently with some games on the platform referencing scandals relating to P Diddy and Jeffrey Epstein as well as, most recently, the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Child safety
Parents who perhaps don't quite understand how the likes of Roblox works may be concerned about their child's safety when playing it - particularly when action as detailed above has tended to be reactive rather than proactive.
In its most basic sense, Roblox is an online video game platform where users create most of the content using simply tools through Roblox Studio. However, because the content is user-generated, it doesn't fall under the same rigorous age ratings as content made by commercial companies.
In August, Roblox said it's using artificial intelligence to help detect "child endangerment communications" earlier and alert law enforcement. Roblox has also outlined other steps it's taking, including restricting certain virtual experiences in spaces such as bedrooms to verified users and those at least 17 years old. The company also said it is testing a way for some users to verify their age by providing a government-issued photo ID.
Advice for parents
Internet Matters has a wealth of advice and support for both parents and children. This includes step-by-step guides on how to block certain content and install parental controls such as in-app purchases.
Parents can set up their own Roblox account which allows them to:
set the Content Maturity Level that your child can access; block specific experiences that are within their Level but you don't want them accessing; set screen time restrictions and get an overview of their time on Roblox; limit who they can contact and who can contact them, including adding new Friends; turn on spending restrictions; report users; and manage more features related to children's privacy and safety.
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