The Family and Social Policies Ministry has concluded the probe it launched into Minecraft, calling on the authorities to ban the popular videogame on the grounds that it encourages children to resort to violence, according to local media.

The report prepared by the ministry’s Children Services General Directorate was sent to its legal affairs department with an instruction for the legal process to ban the game to be started, according to daily Habertürk.

Minecraft is a videogame that allows the player to make designs with cubes in 2D or 3D. The game has several modes and in some of the modes, the player needs to survive in order to proceed.

“Although the game can be seen as encouraging creativity in children by letting them build houses, farmlands and bridges, mobs [hostile creatures] must be killed in order to protect these structures. In short, the game is based on violence,” Habertürk quoted the report as saying.

Some children may confuse the real world with the game world after playing Minecraft, leading them to believe that torturing animals would not give them pain, added the report, which was based on the game experience of a nine-year-old child.

It also suggested that the game could lead to “social isolation,” while exposing children to social risks in the multiplayer form, such as abuse and bullying.

The Family Ministry, which initially launched its probe to find out whether violence against women was encouraged in Minecraft, is expected to file a legal complaint soon. A court will then decide whether to impose a ban or not.

Minecraft, which was sold to Microsoft for $2.5 billion, also caused debate in the U.S. for containing elements of violence.

“There is not a single country that has banned Minecraft,” Habertürk quoted Önder Kaplan, the Chamber of Internet Cafes in Ankara, as saying in the report.

More than 67,000 websites have been blocked by the Turkish authorities, according to Engelli Web, a monitoring website.

A book on Minecraft is one of the best-selling children’s books in Turkey, with 80,000 copies selling out in seven months.

Given its popularity and appeal with children, not to mention its E-for-Everyone rating in the United States, Minecraft is one of the last video games you'd expect would be facing scrutiny over depictions of violence. However, that's exactly what's happening now.


Turkish website Haberturk reports this week that the country's family and policies minister, Aysenur Islam, expressed concerns recently that Minecraft might be too violent. As detailed by Newsweek, a reporter suggested during a recent news conference that the open-ended sandbox game could promote aggression, and said it features depictions of violence against women.

“[We] will examine the game and see if there is an element of violence,” Islam said in response. She added that Turkey's investigation could result in a nationwide Minecraft ban.

Islam did not provide any further details regarding the country's investigation into Minecraft.

Being a sandbox game with no real set of "rules," Minecraft players are free to essentially do whatever they like inside the world. This is part of the game's appeal and an element that has fuelled its immense popularity. This freedom offered to players might explain why the some see Minecraft as a game that could promote violence.

However, Minecraft is also frequently cited for its educational value. In fact, a special version of the game, MinecraftEdu, is used in schools across the country.

Censorship measures in Turkey have increased of late, Newsweek notes. Examples include the Turkish army banning Game of Thrones from being shown in military schools, as well as general steps taken to restrict some content on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

The Minecraft series was created by Swedish developer Mojang, which recently sold the franchise to Microsoft for $2.5 billion. GameSpot has followed up with Microsoft, asking for comment regarding this report.

As detailed by Newsweek, a reporter suggested during a recent news conference that the open-ended sandbox game could promote aggression, and said it features depictions of violence against women.

it features depictions of violence against women

violence against women

violence against women

violence against women