BBC News
By Jane Wakefield
image copyrightRoblox
David Baszucki, is about to become a very rich man, as his video-game platform, Roblox, floats on the New York Stock Exchange, valued at a cool $30bn (£21.6bn).
Already, he has bigger ambitions for the game, which he hopes can become the centre of the so-called Metaverse - an online world not just for gaming but for work and learning, too.
But what is the appeal of a title whose audience mainly consists of the under-12s?
And can its future lie beyond games?
Gaming marketplace
Roblox is already the world s largest user-generated games site. Players use core building components to create and share online worlds that anyone can explore.
It seems that digital exhibitions are no longer enough to represent the creativity of artists.
Proof of this is Wretched Light Industry, a new artistic initiative that takes the form of a virtual island imagined by the Serving the People collective. An immersive universe to explore from home, comfortably installed behind your computer.
While the world was looking for cozy ways to spend our increased time at home, many of us migrated to virtual spheres to escape the reality of the pandemic.
While some chose to build a more peaceful society in the ultra-popular Animal Crossing: New Horizon, others preferred to party on the Party Royale Island of Fortnite.