Roblox Players Join “Free Palestine” Protests In-Game

Roblox players are joining digital “Free Palestine” protests. The players who were unable to engage in physical protests against Israel’s occupation of Palestine have turned to the virtual streets of the game to make their voices heard.

A user-generated virtual environment within the platform, titled “(PALESTINE) Dataran tanjung mas” (in Malay), has emerged as an online arena for young players to partake in activism. The description of the experience states, “This map is created in support of Palestine.”

It seems that the experience was crafted by a user known as cikguzyd. He is a Malaysian gamer with approximately 200,000 followers on TikTok. Videos shared on X and TikTok depict large gatherings of players brandishing Palestinian flags within the game. Cikguzyd takes the lead, leading prayers and protests while chanting in Arabic.

Roblox Players Join “Free Palestine” Protests In-Game

Since its inception on October 14, this experience has attracted over 27,000 visits. Upon entering this digital realm, players have the option to bear either the Malaysian or Palestinian flag. A prominent Palestinian flag hovers at the entrance, positioned over a moat encircling a communal square. In the water, large letters spell out “We love Palestine.” Within the square, prominent banners display messages like “Solidarity untukmu Palestine” or “Solidarity for you Palestine,” accompanied by the date October 21, 2023.

A donation board keeps track of the contributors and the amounts they have donated, although the recipient of these donations remains unclear. The top donor for October has given 2,250 Robux, equivalent to approximately $28 USD. Most contributions consist of smaller denominations, typically 10 and 50 Robux.

There has been speculation that, given Roblox’s reputation as a children’s game, some attendees may have been children themselves. In Roblox, participants are represented as avatars. Their profiles do not disclose personal information such as age, gender, or location. Users on X have commented that younger family members opted for this digital protest due to safety concerns, limited access to transportation, or the inability to drive to physical demonstrations.

However, Roblox’s core user base is maturing, implying that many participants were likely in their teens or early twenties. In 2022, an average of 67 million individuals logged into Roblox daily, with 22 per cent of them falling in the age range of 17 to 24, marking the platform’s fastest-growing demographic.