14 DAY TRIAL // Turkey's Ministry of Family and Social Policies is apparently calling for a ban on Mojang's popular survival and building game Minecraft.
The request stemmed from an investigation conducted by the Children Services General Directorate, that reached the conclusion that the game is based on violence and might induce such behavior in children.
The news comes from Hurriyet Daily News, who says that the official report warns that children who play Minecraft could confuse fantasy with reality, the game world with the real one, which could in turn lead to violent behavior such as the torture of animals, or to social isolation and greater risk of exposure to online abuse.
The investigation was started a month ago, when the ministry received several complaints regarding violence in Minecraft, especially violence directed toward women.
The ministry recognizes that the game encourages creativity in children but points out that players have to kill hostile creatures in order to protect the things they build, which means that the game is based on violence.
Furthermore, the ministry concludes that Minecraft could even lead children to believe that torturing animals wouldn't cause them harm.
The fine line between what is real and what isn't is always being threatened by video games
The ministry has begun the legal proceedings to propose a ban on Minecraft in Turkey, and the outcome will eventually be determined by a court.
In response to the proposal, a representative from Minecraft maker Mojang told Gamesbeat that the game can be enjoyed by many players in a wide range of modalities, and that killing stuff is not actually necessary and falls entirely within the scope of player agency.
Many Minecraft players are more interested in the opportunity to explore the world and go on exciting adventures with their friends.
While it is true that the in-game world is a dangerous place, and the title is ultimately a survival experience, players can always enjoy what Minecraft has to offer in Creative Mode or enable the Peaceful setting, which prevents monsters from spawning.
The world of censorship is weird like that. Turkey already has a history when it comes to blocking websites that the government deems offensive, including RichardDawkins.net or parts of Wikipedia that deal with human anatomy.