Turkey Ministry to investigate Minecraft 'violence' News from Elsewhere... ... media reports from all over 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 aged seven and older in a large portion of Europe, and for those older than 10 in the United States. According to the Haberturk website, Turkey's family and social policy minister, Aysenur Islamic, has ordered an investigation into claims that the game encourages aggression. The website says that if the government considers it too violent, they can ask for a nationwide ban. A journalist told Mrs Islam that players score points for killing other characters, including women. She asked her ministry what they could do regarding it. 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".
gaming
One journalist from an Turkish gaming magazine claims 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 these can are what cause the Turkish video gaming industry to slow down or worsen." Minecraft is extremely popular among gamers of all age groups. In February 2014, it registered its 100 millionth user. Teachers at a few schools in the UK have also used it.
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