There are a lot of popular games I haven't personally connected with, including The Sims, Minecraft, pretty much anything that looks like anime. Roblox is among them--oh yeah, Among Us too--and I've seen some of the more problematic issues with it. But last week, Roblox recorded 45 million people playing its various modes at once. According to Roblox CEO David Baszucki, the game-slash-service surpassed 45 million players on August 23rd. And I don't just mean for a single Steam game.

Over the last decade, Dean has amassed a healthy collection of video games, from smash hits to cult classics. His digital library is like a modern day Blockbuster, all readily accessible with just a click or two. But his son, Sam, has eyes for only one video game: Roblox, the behemoth virtual universe-slash-video game that's among the most popular on the planet. The company reports that more than 97 million people log on to Roblox every day. Around 40% of those are, like Sam, under 13 years of age.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a new measure on Friday that could protect your Robux from scammers and hackers. The proposed rule would interpret terms in the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, or EFTA, which has traditionally been used to protect consumers from unauthorized debit transactions, to include some virtual currencies supplied by gaming and cryptocurrency companies. "Gamers--or in some cases their parents and guardians--have reported issues such as trouble when converting dollars to in-game currency, unauthorized transactions, account hacks and takeovers, theft, scams, and loss of assets," reads the CFPB's post announcing the proposal. "They have also described receiving limited to no help from gaming companies and the banks or digital wallets involved. Refunds are often denied, people are finding their gaming accounts suspended by the video game company after a player tries to get a refund from their financial institution, or people are left caught in doom loops with AI-powered customer service representatives while they're just trying to get straight answers."

Due to international sanctions against Russia, the ruble has tumbled in value--so far, in fact, it's now worth less than a Robux. That's really bad news for the ruble, because the Robux is a video game currency that's mostly meaningful only to children. Roblox, also known as "that game your kids play that looks like Minecraft but isn't," has been around for over a decade. But with an explosion of at-home players during the pandemic, it's gone from fad to phenomenon, now boasting more than 100 million active players. It's so popular that its virtual currency value, which can in fact be converted back into US dollars, is now worth approximately $.0125, which is more than the Russian Federation's ruble.

One of the most popular gaming platforms is about to go public. Roblox is expected to start trading shares in the growing video game company on Wednesday. It will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "RBLX." Earlier this month, Roblox Corporation said it expects to rake in between $320 million and $335 million during the first quarter of 2021, nearly double from the previous year. If you're a parent, then it's likely the only time you ever hear about Roblox is when your kids play it – or discuss the endless activities they complete with friends.