Developers Highlight the Real-World Impact of Building on Roblox on Capitol Hill

• At Roblox’s first Developer Hill Day, six young developers shared their stories with members of Congress about how Roblox fuels jobs, learning, and entrepreneurship across the country, including states like New York, Alaska, Georgia, Texas, and California

• While Roblox does not employ creators, our research estimates that between 2017 and 2024, Roblox contributed approximately 22,000 full-time job equivalents (FTEs) and $1.62 billion in GDP to the U.S. economy.

• Nordicity’s analysis shows that over the past eight years, 75% of payouts were made to creators in states without tech-focused economies.

For Alex Balfanz, creator of Jailbreak, one of the most popular experiences on the platform, Roblox is where he learned to build and run a business that helped fund his tuition at Duke University.¹ For Anne Shoemaker, Roblox is where she taught herself to code and created Mermaid Life, an experience that helped launch her career and led to her recognition as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.

Earlier this month, Alex, Anne, and four other talented creators traveled to Washington, D.C., for Roblox’s first Developer Hill Day, co-hosted by the Entertainment Software Association. The event brought these young entrepreneurs to meet with policymakers and their teams to demonstrate that the creator economy is a real engine for jobs, learning, and entrepreneurship.

The Economic Reality 

While speaking with House and Senate offices, the group put hard numbers behind their personal stories. 

While Roblox does not employ creators, our research estimates that between 2017 and 2024, Roblox contributed approximately 22,000 full-time job equivalents (FTEs)²  and $1.62 billion in GDP to the U.S. economy.³ Additionally, Nordicity’s analysis shows that over the past eight years, 75% of payouts were made to creators in states without tech-focused economies.³   

“While my friends in college were trying to figure out what they wanted to do, I knew I wanted to keep making games,” Alex said. “Jailbreak was earning enough that I could build a real career and start and grow a successful business.”

From Playing to Building 

During a panel discussion, the developers shared how the platform serves as a stealth educator. Many started with no formal training, using Roblox to master everything from Lua coding to 3D modeling to team management.

Jake Sullivan, who runs the studio Vector3, noted that these skills carried over directly to higher education. “The only code I’d ever written before college was Roblox Lua, but it helped me a ton,” he said. “When I got to college, I was three years ahead in my computer science classes.”

These developers, representing New York, Alaska, Georgia, Texas, and California, highlight the geographic and creative diversity of the Roblox ecosystem:

• Alex Balfanz: Co-creator of the award-winning hit Jailbreak (over 7 billion visits), Alex learned to code on Roblox at age 9 and later was able to help fund his education at Duke University thanks to his success on the platform.

• Anne Shoemaker: A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and self-taught game developer, Anne founded Fullflower Studio and created the popular Roblox experience Mermaid Life (nearly 100 million visits). Read more about Anne’s advocacy for girls in tech in Patch. 

• Jake Sullivan: A self-taught creator, Jake turned an early interest in building on Roblox into a full-time career, helping brands like YouTube, Walmart, and the “My Little Pony” franchise succeed on Roblox, and helping developers promote their work through his own studio, Vector3.

• Jessica Thomas: A five-time Emmy Award–winning art director, Jessica has created interactive brand experiences on Roblox for clients such as Elton John, “The Hunger Games” (Lionsgate), Fenty, Alo Yoga, and more. 

• Rush Bogin: A leading digital fashion designer, Rush founded Rush X Inc. at 14 years old. His company has partnered with major brands and celebrities, including the NFL, NASCAR, MLB, Karlie Kloss, and Elton John.

• Tripp Sutton: A self-taught developer who learned to code on Roblox, Tripp created a thriving Police Roleplay Community with more than 1 million players.

A New Kind of Entrepreneur 

The visit opened a direct dialogue between the people building creative businesses online and those charged with regulating platforms. In sharing their journeys, these developers underscored that innovation goes hand in hand with economic opportunity.

“Roblox has played a huge role in the direction of my life,” said Anne. “When I started off, I was just literally playing games as a kid, and it eventually led to me turning this into a career.” 

As we look toward the future, these stories show that the next generation of entrepreneurs is already here—building, coding, and launching businesses on Roblox.