Notes

There will be an Appeals Procedure

The new system allows players to communicate chat messages in multiplayer games, but the community is concerned about the ramifications.



A Mojang community manager has stated that the company has no intention of reversing its decision to implement the controversial player reporting feature, and demanded an end to harassment against Mojang employees.



MojangMeesh made a post on Reddit to clarify that while the company is committed to valuing feedback from players, it doesn't mean that it will change the design principles Mojang Studios follows-this includes the new report system. They asked players to stop "following Mojang employees here on Reddit" and to not harass them in irrelevant threads. The comment has received nearly 2000 downvotes as of writing.



Minecraft players have been arguing about the new player report system since it was announced about a month ago but it was finally implemented as part of yesterday's 1.19.1 update. It allows players on private and Mojang-hosted multiplayer servers to report inappropriate chat messages in chat for review by Mojang investigators, which could result in bans and suspensions for those who do not adhere to Minecraft's guidelines for community members, even on self-hosted servers. Some players are concerned that the system could result in player bans for messages that were taken out of context and more generally, it gives Microsoft too many options to control what content is displayed on its platform.



I don't think their argument is without merit even if some players are behaving terribly about it. It's hard to see an environment where the system doesn't prohibit anyone for a moment because an exchange between friends was misinterpreted. Although there will be appeals, it is also true that there are many misconceptions regarding the system's operation. There are people who complain about their chat being monitored by Microsoft' or fearing they'll be banned for using profanity in any thread. None of these are possible , according to Mojang's FAQ about the reporting system.



This is the place where Mojang is stuck. A thread by Stuart Duncan-who is the administrator of a Minecraft server for children with autism-demonstrates just how much awful stuff Minecraft is host to regularly. Duncan presents studies and reports from the ADL as well as the BBC and other sources that recount the stories of predators and racists playing Minecraft in a way that is abominable. It seems crucial to provide tools to combat this kind of behavior. While it's true that 'think of the child" scare stories are used to justify repressive policies in real life, a tool that lets players report dodgy chat messages in Minecraft doesn't seem like the thin end of a severe wedge.



If you are saying "no one has asked" for this, "the entire community hates this" or "no-one wants this" Please stop trying to be an advocate for everyone. "If you're worried about the possibility of exploits, that's great. You're not alone. PROXIMAL It's not perfect, but real people can be saved by it. July 27, 2022



In other Minecraft news, Mojang has announced that the game won't include NFTs, as they are incompatible with the "values of creative inclusion". It's true that the move seemed to garner an enthusiastic response from the players but there's no word yet on what that AI they created to play Minecraft thinks about it.



Josh's first memories involve playing Quake 2 on his family's computer at the age of five. He's been adamantly game-oriented since when he was five. Since then, his writing has been published in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too many articles on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His deepest affections are for CRPGs, immersive simulations, and any game that's ambition is greater than its budget. He thinks you are all too mean about Deus Ex.


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