Game development in Central Asia: how an 18-year-old developer from Osh garnered 50 million visits in Roblox

Gazinur Ergeshov, 18 years old, city — Osh, Roblox developer, Instagram

About Me

I develop games on Roblox. Currently, I have released 25 games. Not all of them were successful, but in total, they have accumulated 50 million visits.

In the team, I am responsible for recruiting members, distributing tasks, and determining what I will do myself. I pay employees either as a percentage of revenue or as fixed payments.

Path to the Profession

I got into development quite early. As a child, I simply played Roblox like any other user. Over time, I became interested in how games are created and how the development process works. I began studying this field on my own: I tried, made mistakes, redid things, and gradually gained experience.

I did not take any courses—I taught myself everything, mainly by searching for information on the internet and through practice. It took me about two years for training, experiments, and my first projects. I have been developing games for four years in total, and about two years ago, my first game became successful.

The main difficulty at the start was the lack of experience and starting capital. It was also difficult to assemble a team because it is hard to attract people to work without a budget. Therefore, I initially accumulated in-game currency, Robux, on my own to pay team members and launch the first projects.

Additionally, it was difficult at the beginning to understand the algorithms for promoting and developing games on the platform. Without experience and financial resources, this path turned out to be challenging, but over time, I managed to figure out all the key processes.

About Projects

If we talk about achievements, one of the main results for me was the popularity of my paid game. Also, thanks to the income from game development, I was able to pay half the cost for an apartment; the rest remains to be paid.

Monetization in games occurs through in-game purchases. Users enter the game and buy different features or abilities—for example, additional powers, items, or other advantages. After that, the earned Robux can be exchanged for real money.

One of my most well-known projects is the game Slippery Stairs. Its idea was inspired by a popular Japanese show where participants try to climb a slippery staircase and constantly fall. I adapted this mechanic into the Roblox format, and the game gained great popularity: at its peak, online players reached about 4,000 simultaneously, and the number of visits exceeded 5 million.

In total, my projects have accumulated about 50 million visits. For large developers on the platform, this may not be a record indicator, but for an independent developer, it is a serious result.

If we talk about creating games in Roblox, I consider this platform one of the most accessible for entering game development. The development tools are understandable, and you can start creating projects even without much experience. The main difficulty lies not in development but in high competition.

Achievements

One of the most interesting achievements for me was when a well-known content creator and one of the popular players in Roblox entered my game. This was a significant moment because the attention of major players always strongly influences motivation and project recognition.

When my first game started to gain an audience, the emotions were intense. I remember releasing a project, waking up in the morning, and seeing that there were already players online in the game. At that time, it became a big event for me. Later, the game quickly lost activity, but that moment showed me that the project could "take off."

Over time, the attitude became more professional: first surprise, then understanding of the processes, then new successful launches, and growing experience.

Ideas for games usually come through analyzing platform trends. I look at which genres and mechanics are currently popular, study successful projects, and then combine several interesting concepts into one new idea. This approach often works in the Roblox ecosystem.

The game creation process begins with an idea. Then I document it so the team understands the project concept, main mechanics, and development stages. After that, team members distribute tasks among themselves and begin creating the game. When the project is ready, we release it and analyze the audience's reaction.

If we talk about financial results, at its peak, one of the games generated about one million Robux every five days. During the same period, total income reached approximately one and a half million Robux every five days for a month. A share of the project was sold to a partner, so 50% of the income belonged to me.

Skills and Profession

There are many different directions and necessary skills in the gaming industry. These can include programming, creating game maps, design, working with mechanics, and other specializations. Each person usually chooses the direction that is closer and more interesting to them.

If I highlight the key skills, I would put scripting—that is, programming and creating game logic—in first place. In second place is marketing, because even a high-quality project needs to be promoted correctly. In third place is building, that is, creating maps, environments, and the visual part of the game world.

The main work of our team takes place in Roblox Studio—a special development environment for creating games on the Roblox platform. In it, you can write code, create models, set up mechanics, and assemble the game completely. Additionally, third-party programs such as Blender may be used for 3D modeling.

How the Industry is Developing in Central Asia

It is difficult for me to assess the level of development of the gaming industry in Kyrgyzstan, as I have not lived here long enough and have not had time to deeply study the local market. Among representatives of the field, I know several people with whom I have communicated and who are already working in this direction.

In my opinion, the gaming industry in Central Asia is gradually developing: communities, specialized centers, thematic events, game jams, and new developer teams are appearing. This creates good prospects for further growth of the industry.

There are still few professional developers in the region, and the industry is only forming. At the same time, this is not currently a critical problem, since most of the work in the gaming industry takes place online. Teams can collaborate with developers from different countries, including specialists from the CIS and English-speaking markets. It is no longer necessary to be in the same office or even the same country to create games.

There is interest from the international market in specialists from the region. I know of examples where developers from Central Asia work on commission for foreign clients or collaborate with foreign studios. There are also cases of successful sale of game projects to international companies.

Advice for Beginners

Just start and do not be afraid of mistakes. Much comes through practice: you try, make mistakes, correct them, and gradually gain experience. It rarely works out perfectly the first time, so it is important not to give up and continue working.

Today, there is a lot of free material available. For example, you can start with YouTube: it is enough to find video tutorials on creating games in Roblox and follow the process step by step.

A separate topic is assembling a team. In my opinion, this is one of the most difficult tasks at the start. You need to be able to interest people with your idea, show the potential of the project, and agree on cooperation. Often, beginner teams work for a share of future income, so it is important to be able to build trust and find people who are ready to grow together with the project.

Plans

I do not have a strict schedule or a pre-written strategy. I continue to work on projects, develop in the field of game development, and gradually move forward. Everything happens step by step: new ideas are launched, new goals and opportunities appear.

Game promotion largely depends on the internal algorithms of the Roblox platform. For a project to start appearing in recommendations, it is necessary to show good user metrics and interest the first players. For this, developers often use built-in advertising.

Overall, my goal is to continue creating games, launching new projects, and growing as an entrepreneur in the gaming industry.