Ruben Sim

Last updated

Ruben Sim
Ruben Sim (2026) (cropped).jpg
Simon in 2026
Born
Benjamin Robert Simon

(1997-05-12) May 12, 1997 (age 28) [s 1] [s 2]
United States
Occupation YouTuber
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2010–present
Genres
Subscribers1.35 million
Views240.3 million
Ruben Sim's voice
Ruben Sim explaining his satirical web series Roblox Watch
Recorded 2018
Last updated: March 8, 2026

Benjamin Robert Simon (born May 12, 1997), known online as Ruben Sim, is an American YouTuber best known for his commentary and criticism of the online game platform Roblox, as well as his high-profile 2021 lawsuit with the Roblox Corporation. Simon began producing content regarding Roblox throughout the 2010s, amassing a large audience through satirical videos and investigative commentary.

Contents

His controversial content and persistent circumvention of platform bans led gaming journalists to characterize him as a "troll". In November 2021, Roblox Corporation filed a $1.65 million federal lawsuit against Simon, though litigation was settled in January 2022, with Simon agreeing to a $150,000 monetary judgment and a permanent legal injunction banning him from the platform. He later publicly accused the corporation of using the lawsuit to silence his criticisms of their child safety and moderation failures.

Following the settlement, Simon continued his YouTube career with a prominent focus on exposing online predators within the Roblox community. He became a central figure in a 2025 controversy after publicly defending and collaborating with YouTuber Schlep, a fellow creator banned by the Roblox Corporation for conducting unauthorized sting operations against alleged predators on the platform.

YouTube career

Early career

Simon (avatar right) often featured comedic interactions with other players in his early Roblox videos RubenSimHospital.png
Simon (avatar right) often featured comedic interactions with other players in his early Roblox videos

Simon joined the online gaming platform Roblox in 2008, [s 3] later producing YouTube content focused on the platform under the pseudonym Ruben Sim. [1] Early in his career, Simon produced a satirical news web series titled Roblox Watch, critiquing the executive decisions of the Roblox Corporation. [s 4] Simon claimed that conflicts with the game's moderation team over the content led to the platform issuing IP bans against him. [s 4] In its 2021 legal complaint, Roblox Corporation alleged that Simon had been banned for harassing other players and using homophobic and racist slurs. [2] [3] However, he continued to bypass these restrictions by creating alternative accounts. [4] [5] By November 2021, Simon's YouTube channel had amassed over 763,000 subscribers. [6]

Roblox Corporation v. Simon

On November 23, 2021, Roblox Corporation filed a lawsuit against Simon in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. [5] [7] The complaint, which invoked the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, sought $1.65 million in damages for alleged fraud and breach of contract. [7] [8] The lawsuit alleged Simon had led a "cybermob" to harass users, [3] repeatedly circumvented a permanent platform-wide ban, [1] and posted false and misleading terrorist threats on social media, [8] which prompted a temporary lockdown of the 2021 Roblox Developers Conference in San Francisco. [9]

Simon initially declined to comment on the lawsuit, stating on Twitter that he wanted to simplify the legal proceedings. [s 5] [4] The litigation concluded on January 14, 2022, when both parties agreed to a settlement formalized in a court-approved stipulated order. [7] [10] Under the terms of the settlement, Simon agreed to a $150,000 monetary judgment, [10] as well as adhere to a permanent injunction banning him from the platform. [11] [12] [13]

Following the settlement, Simon published two YouTube videos—the first of which he stated had been reviewed by his legal counsel [s 6] —directly addressing several of the lawsuit's allegations. [s 7] While Simon acknowledged that he had created several of the cited offensive Roblox accounts when he was a minor, [s 3] he denied the corporation's most severe claims, including the allegation he had fabricated nude images of a Roblox staff member. [s 7] Simon maintained that his past terms of service violations were weaponized against him, publicly accusing the corporation of aggressively policing his off-platform conduct to silence his ongoing criticisms of their child safety and moderation failures. [s 7] [s 3]

Child safety advocacy

In the years preceding and following his court-ordered ban from Roblox, Simon increasingly focused his YouTube channel on exposing alleged child predators and criticizing the platform's safety infrastructure. [14] [15]

Arrest of Arnold Castillo

During September 2020, Simon began investigating a prominent Roblox game developer known by the alias DoctorRofatnik, later identified as Arnold Castillo. [14] [16] Following a video published by Simon that compiled evidence of Castillo's predatory behavior, Roblox Corporation banned the DoctorRofatnik account and reported it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. [14] Despite these actions, Castillo circumvented the ban using alternative accounts, and continued development on his Sonic the Hedgehog Roblox fan game, "Sonic Eclipse". [14] [16] Later, prompted by user tweets detailing Castillo's behavior, video game developer Sega filed a copyright infringement notice against Castillo's game, and it was removed from the platform by late 2021. [17]

Castillo later utilized the platform to groom a 15-year-old girl, whom he subsequently abducted and sexually assaulted in May 2022. [17] This incident occurred 18 months after Simon and the wider community had publicly outed Castillo as a predator. [17] Following a federal investigation and his arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, [14] Castillo pleaded guilty to federal charges, [18] and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in August 2023. [18] [19]

"Moderation for Dummies"

To document alleged systemic failures in Roblox Corporation's safety infrastructure, Simon established "Moderation for Dummies", an independent initiative to monitor explicit behavior on the Roblox platform. [20]

In October 2024, the investment research firm Hindenburg Research utilized Simon's data from Moderation for Dummies in a short-seller report, noting the initiative had identified over 12,400 accounts engaging in erotic roleplay on Roblox since September 2024. [20] Furthermore, advocacy group Collective Shout cited these documents in formal government submissions, additionally noting the number of identified accounts as "over 80,000" by September 2025. [21]

Collaboration with Schlep

Following similar videos published by YouTuber Schlep investigating Roblox's platform moderation, Simon entered into a partnership with Schlep, and began appearing in his videos. [22] [s 8] Schlep's content revolved around independent on-platform and off-platform sting operations against child predators on Roblox—though unauthorized by Roblox Corporation. [23]

Reception

Media coverage

Initial media coverage of Simon's online activities began during Roblox Corporation v. Simon in November 2021. Entertainment company Polygon first published a copy of the complaint in full the day after its filing. [3]

Corporate response

Following Roblox Corporation v. Simon, both Roblox Corporation and Simon declined to further comment on the settlement, with Simon citing a confidentiality agreement. [11] [14] On July 22, 2024, a Bloomberg Businessweek article detailing the FBI arrest of Arnold Castillo was released. [14] Simon served as a primary interviewee for the piece, with Roblox claiming in the article that Simon was not a "credible source of information about [Roblox's] strong safety record." [14] The next day, a Roblox spokesperson responded to Eurogamer's coverage of the article, [24] alleging Bloomberg's article "contained glaring mischaracterisations about how [Roblox] protect[s] users of all ages" and "failed to reflect ... the complexities of online child safety." [25]

In August 2025, Roblox Corporation's legal stance towards critics of the platform's safety record drew renewed scrutiny from journalists and commentators after the company released a cease-and-desist letter to the YouTuber Schlep, along with terminating his accounts on the platform. [26] [22] The attorneys representing Schlep noted Roblox Corporation invoked the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act on the same basis as it had against Simon during Roblox Corporation v. Simon. [26] [27] Simon retained the same law firms as Schlep in connection with these events. [27]

References

Primary sources

In the text, these references are preceded by "s":

  1. ↑ Ruben Sim (May 12, 2016). Ben's 19th Birthday. Event occurs at 1:47. Retrieved March 8, 2026– via YouTube. ... because I turned 19 today.
  2. ↑ ruben.sim (May 9, 2021). guys may 12th is my birthday. TikTok. Archived from the original on March 9, 2026. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Ruben Sim (July 3, 2022). Roblox Tried To Sue Me For $1.6 Million | Problems At Roblox. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2026– via YouTube.
  4. 1 2 Ruben Sim (September 19, 2018). Why I'm Banned For Life From Roblox. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2026– via YouTube.
  5. 1 2 @realRubenSim (November 24, 2021). "gonna make the very smart decision to not comment on the complaint roblox lodged against me cause i wanna make my lawyer's and the court's job as easy as possible. when all of this is said and done you can have my side of the story. i'll still be uploading vids as usual" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Ruben Sim (January 14, 2022). "Pinned comment on "Roblox Is Suing Me For $1.6 Million | Ep1 Death Valley"". Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2026– via YouTube. And before anyone asks, yes, my lawyer reviewed this video. Be sure to thank him in the comments.
  7. 1 2 3 Ruben Sim (January 14, 2022). Roblox Is Suing Me For $1.6 Million | Ep1 Death Valley. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2026– via YouTube.
  8. ↑ Schlep (November 26, 2024). Roblox Predator Gets CONVICTED! (ft: JiDion & Ruben Sim) (Video). Retrieved March 10, 2026– via YouTube.

Secondary sources

  1. 1 2 Clark, Mitchell (November 24, 2021). "Roblox sues YouTuber Ruben Sim for harassment, terrorist threats". The Verge . Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  2. ↑ Wells, Garrison; Romhanyi, Agnes; Reitman, Jason G.; Gardner, Reginald; Squire, Kurt; Steinkuehler, Constance (April 11, 2023). "Right-Wing Extremism in Mainstream Games: A Review of the Literature". Games and Culture. 19 (4): 469–492. doi:10.1177/15554120231167214. ISSN   1555-4120.
  3. 1 2 3 Carpenter, Nicole (November 24, 2021). "Roblox sues banned 'cybermob' leader for terrorizing the platform, its developers". Polygon . Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Batchelor, James (November 25, 2021). "Roblox suing banned player for fraud and breach of contract". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Roblox Corporation v. Simon" (PDF). Jurist.org . United States District Court for the Northern District of California. November 23, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2026. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  6. ↑ Weiss, Geoff (November 24, 2021). "Roblox Sues Creator For $1.65 Million, Alleging "Malicious, Fraudulent, And Oppressive" Conduct". Tubefilter . Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "Roblox Corporation v. Simon". Justia . November 23, 2021. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Gold, Ashley (November 24, 2021). "Roblox sues YouTuber over "terrorist threats"". Axios . Archived from the original on February 23, 2026. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  9. ↑ Chalk, Andy (November 24, 2021). "Roblox Corporation sues longtime troll who temporarily shut down its developer conference with alleged 'terrorist threats'". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Carpenter, Nicole (January 18, 2022). "Banned Roblox YouTuber Ruben Sim ordered to stay off the game, pay $150K". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Chalk, Andy (January 18, 2022). "US court permabans Roblox troll who made terrorist threats". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  12. ↑ Machkovech, Sam (January 18, 2022). "Judge's order slaps Roblox player with permanent game ban". Ars Technica . Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Stipulation Order – Roblox Corporation v. Simon" (PDF). Ars Technica . United States District Court for the Northern District of California. January 14, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Carville, Olivia (July 22, 2024). "Roblox's Pedophile Problem". Bloomberg Businessweek . Archived from the original on September 26, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  15. ↑ Carville, Olivia (October 21, 2024). "Roblox and the dark side of gaming". WBUR. Archived from the original on November 18, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Randall, Harvey (February 16, 2024). "Pedophile used Roblox to groom and abduct 15-year-old girl, lawsuits claim". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on August 26, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 Stanton, Rich (August 7, 2024). "A pedophile used Roblox to groom, abduct, and sexually assault a 15-year-old girl, a full 18 months after the community had outed him as a predator". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on March 2, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  18. 1 2 "New Jersey Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison After Grooming Minor Online and Transporting Her Across State Lines via Uber for Sex". United States Department of Justice . August 30, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  19. ↑ "United States v. Castillo" (PDF). CourtListener . Free Law Project. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Roblox: Inflated Key Metrics For Wall Street And A Pedophile Hellscape For Kids". Hindenburg Research . October 8, 2024. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Submission to Internet Search Engine Services" (PDF). Collective Shout. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  22. 1 2 Asarch, Steven (August 14, 2025). "Roblox's 'Vigilante' Crackdown: Why the Gaming Platform Is Banning Predator Hunters". PCMag . Archived from the original on August 14, 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ Gilbert, Nyla (February 3, 2026). "Roblox vs. Schlep: Exposing child predators is vigilantism". The Post . Archived from the original on February 3, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  24. ↑ Blake, Vikki (July 23, 2024). "Roblox reported over 13,000 incidents to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2023". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on January 24, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Roblox reported 13,316 instances of child exploitation last year". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on December 5, 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  26. 1 2 Mckendry, Nolan (August 18, 2025). "User revolution festered against Roblox long before Louisiana's lawsuit". The Center Square. Archived from the original on March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  27. 1 2 "SGGH and Milberg Defend YouTuber Michael "Schlep" Banned From Roblox After Exposing Child Predators". Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley. August 14, 2025. Archived from the original on March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
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