Roblox Goes Down, Forcing Children Outside for Halloween

After three days offline, the popular gaming site said Sunday that it was back. In the meantime, children were freaking out.

This weekend, children around the country began acting strange, as though they were emerging from a trance. They moped around their houses. They started hanging out with their parents. They powered up long-neglected electronics in search of entertainment. Some even — gasp! — went outside.

The culprit for their spooky behavior? Roblox, or the lack of it.

Roblox, the gaming platform that is wildly popular among children, especially those from 9 to 12 years old, was knocked offline starting Thursday afternoon. Attempts to use the website resulted only in a message: “We’re making things more awesome. Be back soon.”