Turkish minister orders investigation into Minecraft ‘violence’

Authorities in Turkey have turned their attention to family favourite Minecraft following allegations of violent content.

The BBC reports that Turkey’s family and social policies minister Aysenur Islam has ordered an investigation to assess its suitability for children. Should it be deemed too violent the government could seek to ban the game.

Apparently the move was prompted by a journalist who told Mrs Islam that players get points for killing other characters – including women – and asked what her ministry would be doing about it”.

Which, as anyone who has played Minecraft will tell you, doesn’t sound entirely representative of the game.

Minecraft has a PEGI rating 7+ in Europe and, as per the regulator, contains "non-realistic-looking violence towards characters which, although human, are not very detailed". In America it is rated as 10+. It is also growing in popularity as a teaching aid in UK schools.