Aysenur Islam, Turkey's family and social affairs minister, has ordered an official investigation into Minecraft, and whether the massively successful game is too violent for children.
Islam is concerned that the game promotes aggression, Haberturk reports via the BBC. Apparently, a journalist told Islam's wife that players recieve points for killing other playes, of either sex, and was then asked what the ministry intends to do about the game.
Turkish game journalist Kaan Gezer said this situation and others like them “cause the video game industry in Turkey to stall, or even deteriorate.”
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Professor Dr. Emine Sword Zinner informed Haberturk that Minecraft is mostly seen as a “survival game like Survivor (the reality TV series),” in which the player creates their own world and tries to survive.
“We can not see a thing wrong here,” Zinner added, but other psychologists offered different views.
Clinical Psychologist Alanur Ozalp claimed “games like Minecraft [have] a negative impact on children.[It does] not distinguish between the real world and the game world,” she said. “When they hit the animal, they think the animals would never suffer. It’s not just the animals, [they are more] cruel to their friends.”
Koç University Professor Dr. Cigdem Kagitcibasi added the “type of aggression” in the game is “based on the rules of the game.”
“They teach violence and [make it] attractive, reinforcing aggression,” he continued, saying he supports the investigation.
If the game is found to be violent, the Turkish "government could seek a nationwide ban,” the BBC says.
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