Roblox presents itself to parents as a safe space for kids. Behind the scenes, it's waging a technological shadow war against condo games: digital sex parties where kids are flirting with danger.

Roblox is a huge sprawling world of games which is sometimes described as a kind of primitive metaverse. It's one of the most popular children's games in the world.

For players, Roblox has an element of never-ending discovery because independent developers create more than 20 million new games a year for the platform.

Designing Roblox games is also a money-spinner. The company says it has more than 2m developers, of whom about one-sixth earn income—sharing revenue with Roblox from purchases made in the games.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Roblox, a platform where kids make and play games, has exploded in popularity.

The success of video game platform Roblox raises questions about its economic model. Children and teenagers are essential cogs in a machine that is now drawing the attention of French lawmakers.

Roblox, edging toward I.P.O., reveals surging revenue and losses. The gaming site and app, which is popular with tweens, has benefited from the pandemic but continues to lose money.