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Mojang Studios has announced the Minecraft Safety Council amidst concerns over childrens’ safety on the gaming platform. And gamers are mad about it.
Referred to as a “virtual playground” by some critics, Minecraft is often seen as a way for adults to connect with minors under the guise of a wholesome gaming experience. This has led many parents to provide guidelines for keeping children safe while playing Minecraft over the years, such as disabling its chat features or playing alongside kids to watch them.
Now, Mohang Studios is hoping to make the game safer with the Minecraft Safety Council.
The goal of the Minecraft Safety Council is to create a welcoming and safe space, according to a recent press release. The council will be looking for ways to foster safer multiplayer experiences, led by industry experts who can share insights and find new approaches, like communicating with parents and encouraging “positive player behavior.”
“With experts from across the industry all working towards the same goal – we’re committed to a safer gaming future in Minecraft for all our players,” devs wrote. “And even though safety has always been a focal point, the Council is a natural, next step in our journey towards even better Minecraft multiplayer experiences.”
The council includes:
Alex Holmes OBE: Deputy CEO The Diana Award, Director BBC Children in Need. Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Young People Dr. Kimberly Voll, PhD: CEO, Brace Yourself Games; Co-Founder, Thriving in Games Group (formerly known as Fair Play Alliance) Maria Oliveira Tamellini: Co-founder, COO, GamerSafer. Co-owner, Minehut. Social impact entrepreneur, awarded by Headstream Innovation for advancing youth safety and well-being in gaming spaces Nathan Sawatzky: Head of Trust & Safety at Supercell. Ex Facebook, Disney/Club Penguin, Two Hat Security, and Tiny Speck. Vernon Jones: Head of Safety and Support at MovieStarPlanet. Vernon is a Registered Social worker with statutory child protection experience in The United Kingdom and Denmark. Previously at Save the Children Denmark where he worked on online child safeguarding issues
It seems like a pretty insightful group of people who have dedicated their lives to keeping children safe while using the internet.
However, the gaming community has unsurprisingly reacted with horror to the implementation of a safety council. Said one weirdo: “We went from Notch shilling Minecraft on 4chan /v/ to MS owning the game, censoring 2b2t, adding chat reporting to private servers, and having a ‘safety council’… oh how the mighty have fallen.”
Another noted that having an “outside consultant” spelled the end of Minecraft. It seems the main concern from Minecraft users is the concept of being told what to do. While it seems strange to be mad that you can’t say sexual comments to a 12 year old, I guess gamers are worried that the council will take it even further.
“This is exactly why Minecraft isn’t Minecraft now. The thing that made Minecraft great is what the popular trailer said: ”no one can tell you what you can or cannot do.’ Now you are being told how to play and what to do,” said one frustrated gamer.
Multiple comments also essentially said it’s time to switch to Hytale for good now that there is a safety council.
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