Average Age of the People Using the Devforums?

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#5

tldr; Times are a changing

The amount of knowledge that is available to us in this age is greater than ever before. The expectations are also much higher than previous generations. Volunteer hours were rarely mandatory 30 years ago, and even to get into medical school all you needed was a good average along with a solid MCAT score. No portfolio, no CV with research background or resume with extracurriculars. Same goes for almost any professional field at the time.

Now, it’s not that game development was like that back then, but usually for more artistic genres like civil engineering, game design, etc. there is an associated portfolio, or history of work experience.

Today, almost any job requires a resume outlining your experience and capabilities. And with the cost of living significantly higher than it was 30 years ago (just look at tuition to scholarship ratios, housing prices to average income, and other living stats) we are looking for better jobs that have better pay. Employers on the other hand are a lot more selective in who they hire (higher expectations). Because of this battle of people wanting higher pay for living, versus employers wanting the best employees, the job market has become a lot more competitive than ever before.

That’s not to say that there is a shift in unemployment rate - that’s something that depends on a lot of factors which I’m not going to get into. People that don’t get the good paying job are ultimately going to go for a lower paying job out of necessity. And today it’s likely that we get taught in high school (maybe earlier) that we need to build a good resume to be “attractive” candidates for job applications. At least, that’s what I was taught in grade 9. To put that in perspective, 30 years ago this wasn’t as important as having a solid average in school or having a college degree. This is probably one of the reasons why we see so many talented teenagers here on the forum.

(Keep in mind, I’m not saying that to be successful 30 years ago means you need a college degree or high marks. Lots of people managed to be successful in other ways, and success is arbitrary; not everyone equates money with success)

I know this isn’t the only reason, as some people like me have been on the platform for a long time and wanted to make their own projects, whereas there are also people who consider this to be their main career. Regardless, the skills that we pick up like programming, 3D modelling, and game design are all great things to include in a resume when applying for a large company. It’s likely that many people here are wanting to go into game design and are looking to learn these skills to further their “attractiveness” to the job market, or use Roblox projects in a portfolio or list of experiences. I notice that many developers here are also experienced with other fields of programming beyond Roblox, which is a good indicator of this.

That being said, it’s just my take on it. This is more of a historical/psychological/business intermingled study that requires a lot more time to flesh out. But it’s nice throwing ideas around to see what people think.

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#6

It’s amazing to see young people already have advanced skills in game development. Based on the people I’ve spoken to, most are under 20. It’s a different experience being over 20 and still being a beginner developer on Roblox sometimes, it’s humbling :smile:

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#7

The 21st century needs intelligent people. it’s amazing to see how time goes.

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#8

That’s a really interesting perspective. Moreover, can you really put your experience in Roblox game development into your resume or college applications? If so, that’s great, because I, myself, am a high schooler who’s part of two game development teams. I work as a graphic artist in one of them, and as a team leader/game designer in the other. Could this experience and projects be part of my professional resume? Or, heck, can I put it into my college application? It would show how passionate and committed I am. Plus, it’s counted as leadership experience.
Either way, the fact that the younger generations are picking up more of these marketable skills is quite revolutionizing. It’s amazing to see how the internet has given teens a way to continue their hobbies and sharpen their talents.

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#9

I started coding on Roblox at the age of 11 - 13 when I just got in middle school, I spend a lot of time learning it to extend my knowledge and skills so I can make dream games, now, I am learning 3D modeling besides coding so I can do more on my own, when I work on a project I do all of the coding, some of the models and some friends usually help me with making models since I’m not a good builder but do hope to become a decent 3D modeler besides coding.
I actually have lots of fun making stuff on Roblox when I find something interesting.

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#10

It may seem impressive as how teenagers are able to script, build, etc, but for a lot of developers this is the norm.

Almost every single developer on this platform played this game when they were younger, and over time, they wondered and were inspired by developers which made their favourite games, that’s the reason as to why I got into building in the first place, because I saw what could be done and I gave it a shot.

Being young and developing is also really good practice, since when you’re an adult and move to another company, you know the basic principles of building/programming, etc. This is why it’s important to learn languages at a young age rather than an old age.

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#11

I’ve got attracted into Roblox Studio when I was almost 11
At mid late 2017 when there’s an event that if you make a robot and submit it, you get a hat. Which got me into it. Roblox were good at making kids interested in it.
I didn’t get the hat, so I had practiced a lot in studio wonders what it will do and what can I do with it
Roblox got me into a lot of things, building, scripting, ui designing which are things that I’m confident that I can do good
Roblox dev hub is one of the only source that helps me to understand the tools and scripting in roblox.
I just joined dev hub right away when I’m 13 which was only a while ago
You would expect everyone with the legit age from 13 to be in the forum

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#12

Speaking of skills specifically, yes you can incorporate any skills that transition well into other fields when applying for jobs; this is more for a resume. But for something like a portfolio, you can use your projects as examples of your work. Any professional showcases that you see in the portfolios section on the forum are certainly applicable if you are applying for a position that requires a similar skill set.

I’m not speaking from experience, but I know people that do use Roblox as a way to extend their careers and further their possibilities in the job sector.

As for college, it really depends. And by “depends”, I mean it’s likely a small chance that you will even get the opportunity to show off your projects/experience in a college application. For any mainstream college, it’s all grades for most undergraduate programs.

For specific programs, professional (graduate) programs and other rare cases, you may need to provide a portfolio along with your application. I had a friend who applied to a bunch of architecture schools (one of those tough programs to get in), he needed to have a portfolio of art pieces and a 3D physical model which was all presented during an interview. All this for an undergraduate program. Acting and music programs also have auditions which aim to identify the best candidates.

For computer science, I don’t believe you need to have prior programming experience for a bachelors program, but you will definitely find it easier if you do have some knowledge in the field. 3D modelling is more of a skill that you pick up as you go along in university (from what I have seen) so it’s not really an advantage on most college applications. Again, for art design and very specific programs, this may be different; it is for these cases that I would say yes, Roblox experience is likely to help you in your application.

And you mentioned leadership which is a good point. This is more on the business side, since business programs tend to look for leadership more than other programs, although it is definitely applicable to most programs out there. Successful ventures here are likely good indicators that you know how to handle teams of developers, and have a good sense of direction when it comes to leading a company.

Again, just a disclaimer, this is all from my personal experience; I’m sure there are other perspectives that might differ from mine :slight_smile:

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#14

Not sure? If that is possible, I’d like to see the results. There are many promising future workers here in this devforum, and it really does please me to see that.

#15

I started building whenever I was nine-years-old and ended up getting a game on the front page with about 200-300 players playing for about 2-3 days. This was in 2011 and of course, tix were still around and I ended up accumulating about 10k tix and I’ll be honest, it was a pretty nice feeling. I’ve messed around with programming but I’ve always for some reason lost motivation to try and learn it for months on end and practice. Building has always been a passion for me, and I’m going to be studying computer science (ironically). I hope that in the future I can be a jack of all trades type of guy and be able to make a game myself without needing any help. Although I do enjoy collaborating with other talented developers, it would be a nice goal to accomplish :slight_smile:

I think the community is starting to attract more and more teenagers to developing rather than adults. Everyone on my development team is under the age of eighteen other than myself, but are extremely talented. It’s nice to see young teens incredibly talented on the platform.

#16

I’m a teenage developer who specializes in programming but is multi-trade. I suppose I never realized that times changed. Actually I thought this was how things had always been (at least in a reasonable time frame). All around me I can look and see competition. In fact, in my age group, the competition is so much kids are starting corporations as young as 14. The desire for knowledge and the need to grow is exponentially growing-especially for me. I personally don’t believe in people having “gifts”. It’s all genetics and it’s all how fast people adapt to things (taking this from Psychology).

For me, I very quickly learn programming, modeling, and 3d art. Mathematics and sciences come secondary (which is ironic because I plan to be pursuing a surgical specialty in the future) which just means I need more time initially but have it mastered with minimal practice. Other skills I love exploring but never had the time to dive into involve musical composition, hand drawn art, etc.

I suppose my ambition falls under the fact I want to make good games and push them out to loyal communities. If I can do that, I can avoid an office job in the future and live freely. I’m certainly by no means a prodigy but I do my fair share. I will say my parents are those who expect “all-A’s all the time” and that may contribute to my self-motivation to succeed.

I started programming with Lua in middle school around when Minecraft modding was huge and Roblox was becoming bigger for everyone. I pushed myself and have exceeded my own expectations after developing for 7 years (I started around the age of 9). I was self-taught although I learned some concepts from mentors and teachers while learning JavaScript, Java, and Python. I never got into web development but I’d love to some day.

Honestly, I’d love to hear adults views on this matter. I had never known these things were present. Hope I could help.

Cheers!

As a side note: I think exercise and staying fit helps in controlling yourself and keeping your ambition and self healthy. If anyone’s reading this and was in the same boat I was in a few years back where I sat on my butt for 16 hours straight-don’t fall into that hole. It’s a much better quality of life to balance the outdoors and you’ll have fun. Plus, it’s where I think of many game ideas. :wink: #baseball

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#17

Before reading the replies in this thread, I didn’t realise there were so many active adults on the forums! I guess I just assumed that most of the professional discussion still on here was coming from those in their mid-to-late teen years. Do you think people just expect that anything they find amazing is done by the demographic they look up to the most?

Well, suppose I’d better start seeing all you guys in a new light.

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#18

I started playing Roblox when I was 10 and I started developing when I was 11. Now I’m almost 14 (few weeks until I am) I joined DevForum on my 13th birthday because before I couldn’t and I had browsed this forum for some time and I had always wanted to join.

It’s true that most DevForum users and Roblox developers are teenagers - young adults because if you are older then you would rather learn Unity and get a job from a game company with it.

Roblox is easy to use but that can limit you since engines like Unity and Unreal are harder to master but they contain advanced features Roblox doesn’t (and will probably never) have.

Also Roblox is easy to publish on. Let’s say you would like to publish your game made with Unity on Steam:

  • You would have to fill many bank and legal forms before you could get access to SteamWorks
  • You are underage so you aren’t allowed to fill those forms.
  • Your parents would have to fill them.

On Roblox you just click “Publish” and that’s it. That’s major advantage for underage game developers.

#19

I started messing around in studio when I was 12. That was almost 3 years ago, and I have learned lot’s of new stuff, such as building, basic UI, basic animation, and even a bit of Blender. I am 14 now, and building my first game.
It’s cool thinking how teenagers can create amazing games inside of Roblox, and make money sometimes. It helps them get ready for doing a job when they are older, or help them find what they want to do as a career.

#20

I’m 13, I started developing on Roblox when I was 8-9 years old, I can’t remember for sure.

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#22

Based off experience, I’d say that the average age range on the dev forum is 13-18 years old. I found that in many of the non-post approval sections, you tend to find younger people, some even younger than 13, now that anyone can join the Dev Forum.

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#23

I started playing Roblox in 6th grade. A little after I stared playing, I learned how to build in Studio. Right now, I am a freshman in high school. I’m 15. I did definitely have skills before coming onto the platform though. I played violin in 5th grade, and also just found the idea of music production. Age can definitely play a big part. I see why you’re bringing it up too. Nearly everyone I’ve met is in high school, or college.

I am told I’m pretty good with my sound design. It’s been one heck of a journey, man. I started on GarageBand in, I think it was, 2015-2016. Eventually met a group of producers who took me in as their youngling lol. After that, I received my license for Ableton on Christmas. It’s honestly just trial and error. It also helps that I am pretty good with music theory, and play other instruments.

#24

Well i feel and I know that there are a lot of underage kids who make account with the birth year 1999 when they really were born on the year 2010 but at the same time people over the age of 13 are using it too

#25

I’m 13 so here’s my two-cents on this topic, as it’s really interesting:

I’ve been into computers for as long as I remember, since back then when I was around 4-5, I would use the computer at my grandmother’s house whenever I got the chance. What really ignited my interests into computer programming was mostly thanks to my parents, as they work in computer-science related jobs. I first started programming at around 1st grade on a website called Scratch.Mit.Edu, which was primarily the reason why my dream-college was MIT at the time. Scratch.Mit.Edu was a programming language specifically designed for children to learn how to program with basic drag-and-drop block coding. Although it was simple, I remember seeing many complicated and intricate games and projects on there, which made me a lot more inspired into making my own games. I soon amassed around 100 followers on there, even more if you account for all of my alternative accounts whenever I wanted to “rebrand”. Eventually in 2015, I got into Roblox after a really boring summer afternoon. I really despised Roblox at the time, since I was very biased and misinformed because I dismissed it as a “Minecraft Clone”, but after playing StickMasterLuke’s Natural Disasters Survival, I became immensely interested into Roblox, and that’s where I am today.

When I first tried developing a Roblox game, it was a generic zombie game filled to the brim with free models. At the time, I also had no idea how to rotate and manipulate objects, or programming in general. It wasn’t until in 2018 when I did try to program, though it started out at a shaky start. I didn’t understand clients/servers, or filtering enabled, so I kept my entire game script in a local script inside of a GUI. Gradually, my programming knowledge increased when I signed up on ScriptingHelpers.org, a 3rd party Roblox programming website that was basically Stack Overflow. I met many other developers that helped me become the programmer I am today, and I’ve also helped other aspiring programmers that were just starting. I applied the experience I had with Scratch onto Roblox programming, which also helped a lot.

Honestly, Roblox really helped me learn a lot more about programming and computers as a whole, and I really am thankful that it exists. Many other people feel the same as it really encouraged them to learn hobbies and interests, and also apply their passions and imagination, which really strengthened Roblox’s community and as a platform. I find Roblox to be extremely simplistic and easy to get into, which makes it an excellent tool to start getting into programming/modeling. It’s extremely user-friendly and it also makes game development a lot more streamlined.

tl;dr
I’ve been into computers every since I was 4, got into computers from my parents, and then started using a website called Scratch, then got into Roblox and learned a lot more about the fundamentals from there.

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#26

It’s really crazy, all of the skills people all learning. For instance GFX you learn, 3D modeling software, Photoshop, for me After Effects and all sorts of crazy things. It is really cool to see younger people learn these skills. I say most people are ~13-18.

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