Turkey Minister to investigate Minecraftviolence News from Elsewhere... ... media reports from around the world that were discovered by BBC Monitoring
9 February 2015
Turkey's government is looking into allegations that the popular computer game Minecraft is violent, according to reports.
The game is classified as suitable for children seven and over in much of Europe, and for those older than 10 in the United States. But Turkey's family and social policy minister, Aysenur Islam, has requested an investigation into claims that it promotes aggression according to the Haberturk website says. If it's deemed to be violent, the government could seek an all-out ban, according to the website. The move was inspired by a journalist who told Mrs. Islam that players get points for killing other characters - which includes women and asked her what her ministry would do to address the issue. The Pan European Game Information group, which assigns ratings to computer games, says Minecraft contains "non-realistic-looking violence towards characters which, although human, are not very detailed".
One journalist from an Turkish gaming magazine says the ministry's concerns are unfounded. "I have never witnessed any child with a sword and attacking people because of Minecraft," Kaan Gezer writes on the Leadergamer website. "Stories like this cause the video game industry in Turkey to slow down or even deteriorate." Minecraft is extremely popular among gamers of all age groups. In February 2014, it surpassed its 100 millionth user. Teachers at a few schools in the UK have also played the game.
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