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During a family gathering at my grandma’s house, my 8-year-old niece, Kila, came up to me with her tablet, asking me to join her in Roblox.
On her screen, Lego look-alikes roamed around in the colorful online universe that seems to be on every kid’s device these days. The online platform allows users to create their own games within its ecosystem, building the environments, architecture, rules and goals themselves, giving players absolute agency. They can choose from an extensive variety of games, like scuba diving simulators, pizza restaurant management and even Barbie-themed playhouses. The choices are endless, limited only by the imagination of the players.
As a gamer and a Gen Z myself, I was more than willing to join her. But as I watched Kila’s fingers seamlessly navigate the game, it was clear she was the expert in this virtual world.
Kila and the rest of the kids born after 2010 have started adorably developing as humans, forming their own preferences, habits and identities. What's particularly intriguing about their development is the state of the digital playground they are growing up in. From the moment they learned how to crawl, they most likely also already knew how to navigate a touchscreen, communicate through a video call and play online games.
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According to a 2024 study by global video game market research company Newzoo, over 94 percent of Gen Alpha are video game enthusiasts. Based on what I see from my nieces and nephews, this seems accurate.
“I play Roblox everyday on my tablet! Sometimes with my friends, sometimes by myself,” Kila told me. She said her favorite games are Roblox, Eggy Party and Duet Cats.
My nephew, Kumay, 7, prefers Minecraft, but added racing game Asphalt 9 as another favorite. “It’s like a car game, on the computer, but it's on phones, too!” he said.
Eleven-year-old Keesha’s go-to game is Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, a more competitive pick compared with her contemporaries.
All these games can be accessed on smartphones and tablets, since based on the Newzoo report, around 81 percent of Gen Alpha kids prefer to play on mobile devices, compared with merely 50 percent on traditional video game consoles and 41 percent on a personal computer.
Minecraft, like Roblox, is a social sandbox experience, where players are given the tools and freedom to create whatever they want and set their own goals in a shared, multiplayer environment. Think of it like Lego, but in a limitless digital world.
Within these platforms, players can build intricate structures and develop complex games, collaborating and interacting with others. For example, some impressive creations from Minecraft players include a 1:1 scale reconstruction of the Titanic and a digital remake of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). These creative works serve as inspiration for what kids can aspire to achieve.
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A 2023 report from digital marketing agency Razorfish showed that digitally native Gen Alphas now use video games as a creative outlet, not for mere entertainment.
Multiplayer games like Asphalt 9 and Mobile Legends, on the other hand, give kids a competitive gameplay arena where they interact and engage with other players.
Unlike boomers’ and millennials’ attachments to Facebook and Instagram, Gen Alphas integrate their social interactions within their gaming platforms, according to customer experience firm Telus International.
Video games for them are not just a pastime; they are deeply intertwined with their entire world. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
A 2024 Razorfish survey also found that 66 percent of Gen Alphas’ parents believe that their kids became more independent thinkers because of technology. Purpose-driven, positively social, and authentically diverse: These metaverse games can provide a conducive platform for Gen Alphas to be themselves.
But too much of anything is never good, right?
”My playtime is limited to two hours everyday for Roblox. I play with my dad sometimes, a lot actually. So I think they’re okay with it,” Kila explained. “If I play too much they tell me, and then I just go outside and play with my neighbors instead.”
The habits of Gen Alpha are fascinating, though still evolving. They are literally kids and preteens. But, as someone from the preceding generation, I don’t think we're that much different.
I may be biased, but I think my batch of humans turned out okay, and they will be fine, too. We’re all still figuring it out.
After all, what is life, if not a game?
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This article is part of The Weekender, a biweekly tabloid that appears in the Saturday edition of The Jakarta Post. Offering a variety of feature articles on lifestyle and culture, it aims to enriching your reading experience. Subscribe here to access The Jakarta Post's Saturday edition and all Premium content.
