Paintball! is far and away one of the biggest titles ever to hit ROBLOX, and for good reason. The game features a competitive and addicting style of first-person warfare that is unlike any other game on our platform, and the core gameplay mechanic is supplemented by an awesome infrastructure of earning, upgrading, and purchasing supplementary items and weapons. User daxter33 gets what it means to be fueled by ROBLOX, and has created a title that has emerged on the front of the Games page more than any other game on our platform.

The first and most obvious question that came to mind was also the simplest: how has this particular game stayed at the top for so long? Daxter33 had never been asked this before, and claimed to be equally confounded.

“Honestly, I’m not even sure,” he said with a laugh. “I just made a game that people find fun, and I’ve built this amazing fan base of people who play Paintball! every single day. Any time it seems like my game might be losing popularity, I add new content to it and it shoots right back to the top.”

Daxter33 has developed something of an ace in the hole — a game that features rock-solid gameplay that attracts new players daily, and, arguably more importantly, keeps them coming back. This winning equation is one sought after by every developer on our platform, and is not easily earned.

“At the end of the day, I think people keep coming back because Paintball! is fun. That’s why I do it. Sure there’s a leveling system, and you can earn new guns, but that’s a small part of the bigger picture. You have to focus on making your ROBLOX game fun, before you start adding things.”

“Murder Mystery is still crazy-popular, and I think it’s for the same reason. You don’t really progress in that game, you just have a ton of fun every time you play it,” he added.

Like many developers, daxter33 began substantially altering Paintball! when we announced our Developer Exchange program. He’s been cashing out every month, and is stashing the money he’s earning to supplement housing costs when he leaves for college later this year. Daxter33 explained a unique and ingenious strategy to monetizing Paintball!

“It’s all about balancing the costs of the assets you sell,” he tells me. “I purposely make each and every item a very specific cost. Buying levels and helicopters is much more expensive than buying something less powerful, like a landmine.”

What makes his strategy unique is the inclusion of rewards for stellar gameplay. Sure, you can sink a bunch of ROBUX to get the items you want. But you can also earn these items by achieving kill streaks in the game. Paintball! offers a refreshing alternative to users who may not have an open wallet. Want to get the helicopter, but can’t afford it? Get 20 consecutive KOs, and it’s all yours. Don’t have the money you need to get the in-game items you want? Well, get good at the game.

Speaking of gameplay, it should be noted that the core mechanics of Paintball! are what turned it into the mega smash hit it is today. With so many weapons, upgrades, levels, and items, finding a proper balance was one of the biggest challenges daxter33 had to face. This became an issue of proper allocation, meaning daxter33 had to make sure each and every game had a perfect balance of players from all skill levels.

“Every team is randomized in a way so that you face a brand new batch of opponents each match,” he said. “Paintball! is also extremely skill-based. There are people who can use the starter gun to mop the floor with less skilled players with automatic weapons or rocket launchers. The game sort of balances itself out.”

I asked daxter33 if the Developer Exchange program changed his mentality about game development on ROBLOX. Many developers we’ve talked to in the past claimed that DevEx made them see ROBLOX with a new set of eyes, and daxter33 was no different.

“DevEx motivated me to start updating my games much more frequently,” he tells me. “I’ve been updating Paintball! pretty much weekly so I can keep it at a high peak of popularity. DevEx gives me the incentive to continue working on my game, because it’s my job now.”

“Everyone at my school is always complaining about how much they hate their jobs and bosses. I get to just smile and say, ‘I love my job.'” –daxter33

Like any job, there are moments of stress daxter33 admits to. Moments of panic when a new release breaks the game. The non-stop flood of suggestions, feedback and complaints. Having a popular ROBLOX title can be overwhelming — but it’s easier when you’re getting paid for your work, according to daxter33.

“Everyone at my school is always complaining about how much they hate their jobs and bosses. I get to just smile and say, ‘I love my job.'”