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Minecraft Ban Reports Investigated By Microsoft

Minecraft ban reports investigated by Microsoft By Kevin Rawlinson BBC News

11 March 2015

Minecraft owner Microsoft is investigating reports the Turkish government is planning to ban the game, the BBC knows.

A Turkish Family and Social Policies Ministry study concluded that the game promoted violence according to local media.

There were conflicting reports about what steps the government was planning to take as a result.

Some speculated that it would ask a court for a ban on the game. Others suggested it would ask Microsoft to make changes.

According to the Haberturk newspaper The ministry's report stated: "Although the game can be viewed as encouraging children's creativity by letting them construct houses, farmlands and bridges, mobs [hostile creatures] must be killed to safeguard these structures. In essence the game is built on violence."
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'Social isolation'

According to the newspaper, some children might confuse Minecraft with the real world, and believe that torturing animals would not cause pain.

It stated that the report was based upon the experiences of a nine-year-old, and suggested that playing Minecraft could cause "social isolation".

Haberturk said that the department's legal affairs division of the ministry had been instructed to take the first steps toward banning Minecraft.

According to Fatih Oke (a spokesperson for the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC), a ban is "out of the question".

Mr Oke said to Christian Science Monitor: "There is no ban.

"The game is not being banned and will not be banned.

The Family and Social Policy Ministry does not have that sort of authority to ban any product.

"I understand that this is what was reported in the Turkish media, but it is incorrect.

"The ministry can only work on complaints.

"In this case, I am told there were many complaints from parents regarding Minecraft and its impact on children.

"The mission of this ministry is to increase awareness."

The government can't prohibit the game in a unilateral manner, but it could convince the court.

While Turkey is not noted for its ban on computer games, some websites have been shut down recently.

In the past year, access to both Twitter and YouTube was temporarily blocked and Facebook was required to block some pages said to be insulting the Prophet Muhammad in January of this year.

'Creative freedom'

A spokesman for Mojang who makes Minecraft under the Microsoft umbrella after Microsoft bought the game for $2.5bn (PS1.68bn) in September 2014, would not respond directly to the reports.

He also said that "Minecraft is enjoyed in many ways by players of all ages."

"Many are enthralled by the freedom of creativity that is offered by Minecraft and its tools, some prefer the chance to explore a landscape without boundaries and to embark on thrilling adventures with friends.

"We encourage players to work together to achieve success whether they're building, exploring or exploring.

"The world of Minecraft can be a risky world, populated by terrifying, genderless monsters that come out at the night.

"It might be necessary to defend yourself against them in order to live.

"If people find this level of fantasy conflict disturbing, we encourage them to utilize Creative Mode or to allow the Peaceful setting.

"Both of these options will prevent monsters from appearing everywhere in the world."

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