On July 4th, 2021, Youtuber Lucci P revealed evidence of the tragic death and murder of beloved Roblox character Tayvion Cole. In which the witness, Quez Hudson, is seen observing the shots fired at Cole. The mere 10-second clip expresses the death, the killer, and the context provided in the story. What seems to be a playful game of Roblox’s Roblox Experience East Brickton eventually defines a generation and the power of social media and unity in society—inevitably leading to an idealization of a corrupt societal norm built by the growing youth.
Although seen as a meme, the death of Tayvion Cole and the aftermath that followed his death defined a generation and their strength through unity. The video of his death eventually went viral on TikTok in August 2022, leading to several parodies mourning the loss of the video game character. The video allowed people to mourn the death as if it were real.
After further investigation, the death of Tayvion Cole was soon to be discovered as a set-up. Evidence showed that Cole’s girlfriend, Asia White, informed Tayvion Cole’s opposing gang of his location. Following this, at the scene of the crime, it was shown that an anonymous player had led Zach Bryon, the killer, to believe the young man was unarmed at a party in East Brickton. Bryson was demonstrated in the video arriving at the party and firing several shots at Cole.
Nevertheless, another killing of a young black male, regardless of whether it was a video game or not, sparked the unity of the youth and showed the importance of our society’s strength lying in numbers—the video of an unarmed man being gunned down in a virtual video game spread like wildfire. The result was a coalition of protests and riots across the video game servers. For months, the game Roblox faced the pressure of unifying players and a demand for justice. His death brought together the youth in yet another example of how important the freedom of protest and speech is in this country. Members and players from other countries outside the US, who also viewed the tragic death, began to realize the injustice in the video game. Zach Bryson had lived to see another day, yet Tayvion Cole would leave an everlasting effect on demonstrating the power of unification. As JK Rowling once stated, “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”
The virtual death of Tayvion Cole may have sparked a fuse that ignited the popularity of Roblox in 2022 and 2023. The aftermath effects on the youth began to show their severity in the coming years. Despite the death allowing an entire generation to stand up for justice, the video game outside of East Brickton slowly showed how effective a video game truly is. Similar to how many parents criticized Call of Duty in the early 2000s for being “too violent” and “leading the kids down the wrong path,” the problem with Roblox is that the scenarios in which the games take place are far more realistic than Call of Duty would ever be. The game in which Tayvion Cole was brutally murdered was a game fantasizing about the life of a corrupt ghetto society filled with terror, crime, and violence. Alongside this, games like “Roblox No Hesi” allow players to go criminal speeds down a freeway where the objective is to swerve in and out of traffic as fast as possible. Games like these are a pivotal movement in the idealization of corrupt lifestyles for the youth.
Roblox has been a core childhood game for millions of kids worldwide, with roughly 214 million active players across their servers. The game’s introduction to the PlayStation platform skyrocketed these numbers, reaching more players. What used to be a friendly childhood game that included fashion shows and building games now features some of society’s most violent and corrupt aspects. However, without notice, the youth fantasize about these games in a way unlike generations of Call of Duty players before them.
The death of Tayvion Cole left a scar in the hearts of a generation but also left a dent in the history of unification for justice. Cole’s death showed the impact of how important this new age of technology is in bringing together a niche group of people. Nevertheless, his death also opened the eyes to the youth’s corrupt view of violent aspects of the world. Although Cole’s journey has ended, he will live eternally through the lives of millions of Roblox characters.
