Various changes have hit the ROBLOX Games page in the past couple of weeks. The “Top Earning” sort allows users to see which games are able to rake in the most amount of Robux. The thumbs up/thumbs down rating system gives you the power to vote on the content populating that page, so that the entire community can band together to establish an easy-to-read quality metric. We’re also in the process of rolling out a brand-new layout that shows you a lot more content.

Since the release of our ratings system, we’ve been keeping an eye on the top-voted places on the Games page. We decided to take a look at the top 100 vote-getters, and do a bit of analysis–particularly as to what aspects drive players to cast positive votes. 

The Classics – Core Gamers

We believe some games that made the list did so based on their long-standing popularity. Classic titles like Call of ROBLOXia 5, Paintball!, and Apocalypse Rising have had core gamers playing and re-playing since, well, as far back as we can remember. Turns out, there’s a reason these legacy titles continue to draw players in. We previously touched on the value of building a strong core following–there’s a big difference between getting people to play your games, and getting people to replay your games again and again. The aforementioned games are so popular because not only are they innovative (and in some cases, manic), but are chock full of features, maps, and game modes that encourage players to return.

Honesty is the Best Policy 

We’re sure you’ve seen it: a title on ROBLOX with a generic thumbnail and a description that in no way explains what the game is actually about. Ridding ROBLOX of titles like this is a big goal in the grand scheme of improvements we’re bringing to ROBLOX.com. Fact is, naming your game something descriptive, then delivering that exact description, is the way to go. Broken Bones (Figure Physics), which carries a 96% positive ratings ratio, is a perfect example. It’s called Broken Bones, and it’s a game in which you jump off platforms of various heights in order to break as many bones as possible.

Ow.

Experience promised, experience delivered. Natural Disaster Survival, which also holds a 96% positive rating ratio, delivers on the words in the title as well. Gamers and builders appreciate transparency.

Originality

There’s drawing inspiration, then there’s drawing too much inspiration. We noticed games that attempt to leverage name-recognition or existing assets without delivering a high-quality experience garner more downvotes–they don’t satiate our community’s desire for original content. If you’re looking for upvotes, originality plays a key role. Attaching a well recognized name or relying on models created by other builders may not bode well among gamers. So, remember: originality is key.

The Statistics

We looked at the top 100 most-voted games, and compiled the data. Of the 100 counted, 64 games earned a 90% or higher. These are all familiar titles that you’ve probably seen floating at the top of the Games page. 19 games earned a positive reaction of 80% and higher. Games in this category include titles we’ve written about that you’ve no doubt seen yourself, like the Kestrel Home Store (87% positive) and Ro-Planes 2 (84% positive).

Eight games were in the 70% range. Here is where the titles themselves start to shift away from original content, and begin leveraging existing assets and ideas. These games aren’t fake by any means, but they’re set in worlds that already exist outside of ROBLOX (i.e. popular movies and/or cartoons). When we get into the games that are in the 50% and 60% range, we start to see games that were outright copied, and games with misleading titles or thumbnails (we’re not going to mention which games we’re talking about here).

Here’s a list of some of the interesting data we documented:

• The Stalker is the most positively favored game in ROBLOX, with 1,717 upvotes and 42 downvotes, which equates to a sterling 98% positive ratio. The Conquerors is a close second, with 1,242 upvotes and 31 downvotes, which also equates to a 98% positive ratio.
• The game that has been voted on the most times is Sword Fighting Tournament, with 9,054 positive votes and 539 negative votes, which is a 94% positive ratio. The game that has received the second most votes is Catalog Heaven, with 8,058 positive votes and 407 downvotes, putting it at a solid 95% positive ratio.
• In the top 10 list, no single genre is predisposed to upvotes or downvotes. It features a wide range of games, including RPGs, first-person shooters, real-time strategy games, platformers and more.

It Seems to be Working!

And we’re glad. We want the front of our Games page to have only the best ROBLOX experiences out there. Original content, innovation, and games with solid core gameplay mechanics should be earning positive votes, and they are. It’s not hard to imagine that someday, the amount of positive votes will begin determining what content will surface on the front page of the Games page. This would also mean, conversely, that games that are given many down votes won’t show up as prominently or frequently, regardless of how much money the place has earned. Perhaps “Top Voted” will become a metric by which you can sort. There’s a lot of potential here, and we’re laying the groundwork to explore our options. Stay tuned.