The new system allows players to send chat messages to multiplayer games, but the community is concerned about the implications.
A Mojang community manager has stated that the company will not be reversing the implementation of a controversial new player reporting feature. He also called for the end of harassment against Mojang employees.
Posting on Reddit MojangMeesh clarified although the company is committed to feedback from players, it will not necessarily "change the design principles Mojang Studios adheres to-this includes the new reporting system". They asked users to stop "following Mojang employees here on Reddit" and harass them on unrelated threads. The post received close to 2000 downvotes at the time of writing.
Minecraft players have been up in arms over the new player reporting system since it was announced just a month ago but it was finally implemented as part of yesterday's 1.19.1 update. It allows players on private and Mojang-hosted servers to report inappropriate messages in chat to be reviewed by Mojang investigators, which could result in bans and suspensions for players who violate Minecraft's community guidelines even on servers hosted by self-hosted players. Some players are concerned that the system could result in player bans for messages taken out of context, and that it gives Microsoft too much power to dictate the content of discussions on its platform.
I don't believe that their argument is deficient even if some players are acting badly about it. It's difficult to imagine an environment where this system doesn't bar anyone for a moment because a joke between friends got wrongly interpreted. While there are appeals, it's evident that there are numerous misconceptions about how the system works. Browse through any discussion on the matter and it won't be long before you'll see someone complaining about having their private server's chatmonitored' by Microsoft or worried that they'll get banned for cursing. Both is possible, according to Mojang's own FAQ on the reporting system.
This is where Mojang is stuck. A thread from Stuart Duncan, who is the administrator of a Minecraft server for children with autism-demonstrates just how much awful stuff Minecraft is host to regularly. Duncan showcases studies and reports from the ADL and the BBC, and others which tell tales of predators and racists playing Minecraft in a way that is abominable. It's important to offer tools to stop this kind of kind of behavior. While it's true that "think of the children" scare stories are used to justify the use of reactionary policies in real life, a tool that lets users report chat messages that aren't legitimate in Minecraft doesn't really seem like the thin end of a dangerous wedge.
Stop trying to speak for everyone when you say "no one has asked for this" or "the whole community is against it" or "no one really needs this. "If you're worried about exploits it's fine. Me too. It's not perfect, but real people can be saved by it. July 27 2022
In other Minecraft news, Mojang has announced that the game won't be featuring NFTs because they are incompatible with the "values of inclusion through creativity". It's true that the move seemed to garner enthusiastic support from the players however there's no word yet on what that AI they created to play Minecraft thinks about it.
One of Josh's earliest memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer. He was too young for this and he's been utterly game-brained ever since. Since then, his writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He can play nearly every game, and has written a lot about everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed.Minecraft Gallery His greatest passions are CRPGs and immersive games. He thinks that you're far too naive about Deus Ex: Invisible War.
