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Kids can build a first Roblox game in Roblox Studio by creating a small place and adding scripts one at a time. Roblox scripts use Luau, a language derived from Lua 5.1, so “beginner Lua scripts for Roblox” is a common search phrase—but the examples below use Luau in Studio. Start with a message in the Output window, then add a value, a condition, a function, a touch reaction, and a changing platform.

Roblox describes Studio as a free application for Windows and Mac. Create a Roblox account, install Studio, and open a new or existing place. These six snippets are a learning sequence; the official tutorials cover the concepts, but do not present this exact collection as a tested, ready-made project. Roblox’s Studio introduction has setup guidance.

Before you add a script: choose the right place for it

Studio’s Explorer shows a place as a hierarchy of objects. Parts are physical building blocks; scripts add behavior. A server-side Script can go in ServerScriptService, the location used in Roblox’s first-script tutorial. A LocalScript runs on the client, while a ModuleScript can be required by server or client scripts. Script type and location affect whether code runs as expected, so use the Explorer path given for each example. See Roblox’s data model guide for the object hierarchy.

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For the first example, create a Script under ServerScriptService, name it something recognizable, and open it in the Script Editor. To run it, use Studio’s playtest controls and open the Output window. The official walkthrough is Create a script.

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1. Print a message when the game starts

Where it goes

ServerScriptService > Script. Replace the default contents with:

print("Hello, game!")

What to look for

Start a playtest and check Output for Hello, game!. This verifies that the server script ran. Output messages are different from text displayed to players in the game.

Try changing it

Change the words inside the quotation marks, then playtest again. If no message appears, confirm the script is a Script under ServerScriptService and check the Output window for errors.

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2. Store a value in a named variable

Where it goes

Use the same script in ServerScriptService, replacing its contents with:

local message = "Welcome to my game!
print(message)

What to look for

Output should show the message stored in message. The word local makes this variable available in its current scope. Roblox recommends local variables in its scripting introduction.

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Try changing it

Edit the text after the equals sign and run the place again. The variable name can stay the same while its value changes.

3. Make a decision with a condition

Where it goes

Replace the script contents in ServerScriptService with:

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local coins = 5

if coins >= 5 then
    print("You have enough coins!")
else
    print("Collect more coins.")
end

What to look for

With coins set to 5, Output should show You have enough coins!. The if condition checks whether the value is at least five; otherwise the else branch runs. Conditions are covered in Roblox’s coding fundamentals.

Try changing it

Set coins to 2 and playtest to see the other message. This is only a code example: it does not create a coin counter or track a player’s coins.

4. Put an action in a function

Where it goes

Replace the script contents in ServerScriptService with:

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local function sayReady()
    print("Ready to play!")
end

sayReady()

What to look for

Output should show Ready to play!. The function groups an action under a name; the final line calls it. You can call the same function again rather than rewriting its contents.

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Try changing it

Add another sayReady() line at the end and observe the message appear again. Functions and events are both part of Roblox’s beginner coding sequence in its coding fundamentals guide.

5. Make a part react when touched

Where it goes

  1. In Explorer, add a Part to Workspace and give it a clear name such as TouchPart.

  2. Add a Script inside that part, then use this code:

    local part = script.Parent
    
    local function onTouched(otherPart)
        print(otherPart.Name .. " touched the part!")
    end
    
    part.Touched:Connect(onTouched)

What to look for

Start a playtest and move a character into the part. Output should report the name of a touching part, often a character body part. The script connects a function to the part’s Touched event; event-and-function patterns let a game react when something happens instead of repeatedly checking in a loop. Roblox documents Touched and Connect() in its Events guide.

Try changing it

Replace the print line with part.BrickColor = BrickColor.new("Bright green") to change the part’s color when touched. You can also change the message. A touch event can fire more than once as different character parts make contact.

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6. Make a platform disappear briefly

Where it goes

  1. Add a Part to Workspace, make it large enough to stand on, and name it VanishingPlatform.

  2. Put a Script inside the part and paste:

    local platform = script.Parent
    local busy = false
    
    local function onTouched(otherPart)
        if busy then
            return
        end
    
        busy = true
        platform.Transparency = 1
        platform.CanCollide = false
        task.wait(2)
        platform.Transparency = 0
        platform.CanCollide = true
        busy = false
    end
    
    platform.Touched:Connect(onTouched)

What to look for

During a playtest, touch the platform. It should become invisible and non-collidable for two seconds, then return. Transparency controls visibility and CanCollide controls whether physical objects can collide with the part. The busy flag prevents a second touch from starting another disappearance while the first is underway. Roblox’s introduction to scripting teaches changing part properties, including these platform behaviors.

Try changing it

Change task.wait(2) to task.wait(4) and compare how long the platform stays away. This simple effect is a starting point for a hazard or challenge; it does not add checkpoints, scores, or saved progress.

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How to find and fix common problems

What to learn after these six scripts

Once the snippets make sense, continue from variables and objects to functions, events, conditionals, loops, tables, and organizing code. Roblox’s core curriculum moves on to broader gameplay work such as hazards, coins, leaderboard data, and connected upgrade buttons. Saving player data and handling purchases or client-server communication are later topics, not prerequisites for these first experiments.

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Luau is Roblox Studio’s scripting language. It supports Lua 5.1 code, but Luau also has features that are not valid in Lua 5.1, so ordinary Lua tutorials may not map exactly to Roblox. The official Luau documentation explains the distinction.

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