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Minecraft Ban Reports Investigated By Microsoft Minecraft bans are investigated by Microsoft By Kevin Rawlinson BBC News 11 March 2015 Minecraft owner Microsoft is investigating reports that suggest the Turkish government is preparing to ban the game according to the BBC understands. A Turkish Family and Social Policies Ministry study said the game encouraged violence, according to local media. Minecraft-servers There were conflicting reports on what steps the government was planning to take in response. Some suggested it could request a court to ban the game, while others said it would request Microsoft to modify it. According to the Haberturk newspaper the report of the ministry reads: "Although the game can be seen as encouraging imagination in children through building houses, farmlands and bridges mobs [hostile creatures] must be killed to safeguard these structures. The game is based on violence. 'Social isolation' According to the newspaper, some children might be able to confuse Minecraft with the real world and believe that torturing animals would not cause pain. It said that the report was based upon the experiences of a nine-year-old, and suggested that playing Minecraft could lead "social isolation". Haberturk said that the legal affairs department of the ministry was instructed to take the first step towards blocking Minecraft. According to Fatih Oke (a spokesperson for the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC), a ban is "out of the question". Mr. Oke said to Christian Science Monitor: "There will be no ban. "The game is not banned and will not be to be banned. The Family and Social Policy Ministry does not have that kind of authority to ban any product. "I believe that this was what was said in the Turkish media, but it is incorrect. "The ministry is able to only deal with complaints. "In this instance, I was told that there were numerous complaints from parents regarding Minecraft's influence on children. "The purpose of this ministry is to create awareness." The government wouldn't be able to unilaterally ban the game, but it would need to convince a court to do so. Although Turkey isn't known for banning computer gaming, there have been some websites that have been shut down in recent times. In the past year access to both Twitter and YouTube was temporarily shut down and Facebook was forced to block some pages said to insult the Prophet Muhammad in January of this year. 'Creative freedom' Mojang the company that produces Minecraft under Microsoft's umbrella, declined to comment on the reports. He said that "Minecraft is enjoyed in many ways by players of all ages." "While many are enthralled by the creative freedom Minecraft and its tools offer, others are more interested in the chance to explore a world without limits and share thrilling adventures with their friends. "We encourage players to join forces and encourage them to work together in order to achieve their goals, no matter whether they are building or exploring or taking a trip. "The Minecraft world can be dangerousbecause it's home to terrifying, genderless monsters that appear at the night. "It might be necessary to defend yourself against them to ensure that you're able to survive. "If people find this level of fantasy conflict upsetting, then we encourage them to use Creative Mode or to allow the Peaceful setting. "Both of these options will deter monsters from appearing everywhere in the world." Facebook backs Turkey block 26 January 2015 Microsoft buys Minecraft for $2.5bn Turkish officials lift ban on Twitter 3 April 2014
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