A troubling development has come up between Minecraft gamers and YouTubers, one that threatens to hurt the community – especially, younger gamers.
It has come to light that several YouTubers, many of whom are associated for Minecraft, are using their popularity and connections with the game to prey on underage fans.
The issue exploded when Youtuber Lionmaker posted nude pictures of a fifteen year old girl, and claimed he had sexual relations with her via Skype. Lionmaker also allegedly committed sexual assault on other minors, including a sixteen year old boy and a twelve year old girl.
Sadly, Lionmaker is not the only Minecraft Youtuber who has done this. Youtubers Yamimash and Miniladdd were both embroiled in controversy when they sent obscene messages to a fourteen year old. One of these Youtubers, Lee Carson, was even convicted of sexual misconduct. All of the abovementioned YouTubers continue to make videos.
A Microsoft spokesperson gave this response when asked about the issue:
Helping promote a safe online experience for children has always been a priority for us. We encourage parents to play an active role in monitoring their children’s online activity.
Minecraft recently hit the 22 million sales mark on PC alone, and is available on a range of platforms. Mojang and 4J Studios also just ported the game to Wii U and launched Minecraft Education Edition.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to remove editorializing by the author, which suggested that both Microsoft and Mojang were liable or responsible for crimes facilitated by other issues and services. We apologize.
