Minecraft Player Reporting System: Explained (2022)
We have covered the pros, cons, and mechanics of Minecraft’s new player reporting system in separate sections to give you a better idea of its usage and implications. Use the table below to first understand what is the reporting system and then learn about the “#SaveMinecraft” movement that has erupted since this release.
What is Player Reporting in Minecraft 1.19
Similar to other multiplayer-based video games, Minecraft has also decided to apply a monitoring system in which players can report other toxic players to the developers. Then, the team behind Minecraft could take appropriate action, depending upon the seriousness of toxicity and harassment complaint. Since there is no in-built voice chat option, the players can only use the in-game chat to communicate with one other. And with the new reporting system, you can now report players for textual abuse.
If someone offends you using the in-game chat feature, you can report that player to the concerned department. But remember, not every action that you might deem offensive is punishable. Minecraft has laid out some strict and detailed community guidelines establishing the grounds on which you can file a report.
How Was the Situation Before This Update?
Before the Minecraft 1.19.1 update, if players faced any kind of toxic behavior or harassment in chat, the only solution they had was to stop talking to the offending player. And if things got out of hand, they could report the issue to the moderator of that particular server. Then, it was up to the server moderator to decide whether to ban, punish, or mute the reported player in the server.
What Can You Report a Minecraft Player For
Starting with the 1.19.1 update, Minecraft’s official community guidelines allow you to report players under the following categories:
Self-harm or suicideChild sexual exploitation or abuseTerrorism or violent extremismHate speechImminent harmNon-consensual intimate imageryHarassment or bullyingDefamation, impersonation, false informationDrugs or alcohol
You can go to the official Minecraft community standards page (visit) to dive deeper into the complete details of reportable offenses. But the gist is that a player can now report you if you offend them or spread haterade in the game. Then, Minecraft’s concerned department would analyze your offense and take action.
What Doesn’t Count as Offensive in Minecraft
Even though some players’ actions can feel irritating, they might not be enough to report them in Minecraft. Some of these actions include:
Griefing and attacking other players and their basesUsing mods to exploit serversStealing items from playersUnfair treatment towards certain players by the server moderator or owner
All the actions mentioned above don’t put players in serious threat, and in a way, are also part of the open-world gameplay in Minecraft. So, it makes sense that you can’t report them for the aforementioned problems. But, the thing is, what if someone takes a truly offensive action and Minecraft can’t notice it?
What the Minecraft Reporting System Can’t Detect
Because the player report system in Minecraft 1.19.1 or later is limited to the in-game chat, many players might bypass the system to spread toxicity. Some of the common examples are:
Using signs, books, and nametags to send offensive textsPlacing blocks to create offensive words or imageryAdding mods to Minecraft to send offensive texts or imagesPromoting external links that might redirect to offensive contentUsing slang, foreign language, and symbols to send undetectable offensive texts
Many of the above-mentioned examples are ones that a reporting system can never solve. But with a chat reporting system in place, most players can be saved from common textual attacks, which is Minecraft’s most common form of toxicity.
Punishments in Minecraft
Depending upon the offense, the reporting system in Minecraft can punish you in the following ways:
Soft Ban: If your offense is considered a minor one, Minecraft will ban you from all Realms and online servers for a limited time. It can last for a few minutes to a few hours.Permanent Ban: Repeated offenses and serious remarks can get some players banned for life. You will be blacklisted from joining all servers and Realms in Minecraft.
Several other games like Valorant also hand out permanent bans as punishments for offensive players. But the reporting and ban system in Minecraft is truly brutal because the game costs $26.99. So, if you get banned, you will need to purchase a new copy of the game from a different account to play Minecraft online again. And in some ways, this is where the controversy begins.
Does Minecraft Need a Player Report System
Minecraft’s developer and a major chunk of players favor the new reporting system. And if we look at a recent report of a popular Minecraft server(linked in the tweet above), it definitely looks like a necessity. As per the report, a good portion of the guideline violaters is made up of repeat offenders, who, once banned, will result in a significantly safer server and gameplay experience. Moreover, almost half of Minecraft’s player base comprises teens or children. And since adults can also join the servers, the younger players become prone to grooming, inappropriate content, and bullying. So, having a player reporting system in any online game is something that no developer can skip over. But it’s how they implement it that makes the whole difference.
Community’s Attempt to “Save Minecraft”
From a distance, Minecraft’s reporting system seems like a knight in shining armor, keeping its players safer than ever. But unfortunately, the complete image isn’t as rosy. And the hashtags #SaveMinecraft and #BoycottMojang trending on Twitter definitely highlight the concerns that the community has with the new rules in place. So let’s take a closer look at the huge community backlash against the newly added reporting system in Minecraft.
Why Is There a Backlash for Minecraft’s Report System?
Protesting players have quoted multiple reasons to roll back the new reporting system. And some of them raise important concerns about the future of Minecraft:
Lack of Context: Because the Minecraft chat reporting only depends upon messages, the lack of context can make simple messages offensive. A common example is players talking about violence in a PvP context, which, even with multiple messages, might not show the full picture.Adult Servers: The game allows its players to create private Minecraft servers with ease, and we also have a dedicated guide in place. And for some players, these servers are a place to have uncensored discussions, which will be at risk with a strict reporting system.Roleplay: As per the guidelines, you get written up for conversations around alcohol and impersonation. But it can technically also be a violation if you just have been roleplaying as another person. And even if you are talking about alcohol as an in-game character, false reports around roleplaying players might become a common problem, considering the power and popularity of roleplay in Minecraft.Privacy: Leaving the report’s implications aside, many players are not comfortable sharing their chat with Mojang, the developers of Minecraft, and inevitably, Microsoft, the parent company of Mojang.
Can Minecraft Player Submit False Reports?
Much like other online games, there is no mechanic to stop Minecraft players from sending false or irrelevant reports against players. But that doesn’t mean the false reports would have consequences on the reported players. For proper action, Mojang requires the report to carry enough evidence to prove the toxic behavior.
Can Players Use Mods to Send False Reports?
Minecraft mods are popular and thriving on the game’s Java edition. So, it’s no surprise that there also are exploits and mods to change the text messages and their context. Moreover, there are also mods to mass report players to get them banned, which is scary! Fortunately, Mojang has addressed such exploits’ presence and assured players that such tampering is detectable. Moreover, they have also warned players against using such mods unless they want to be banned.
Is There a Way to Challenge the Reporting?
If you get your account banned after a false report in a worst-case scenario, Minecraft will not abandon you. Instead, you must submit an appeal on their official website, explaining the scenario and context of the reported content for which you were falsely banned. Then, the final call will be with the developers to revert or maintain the decision.
How to Turn Off Chat Reporting in Minecraft? Is It Possible?
At the moment, you can only turn off the chat reporting system of Minecraft as a server owner, and that too, only with the help of third-party mods. There is no official toggle or setting to turn off the new player reporting system in-game. So, you can’t have an online Minecraft server that is free of scrutiny from “Mojang/ Microsoft.”
Many players believe that instead of forcing its new safety feature on players, Minecraft should allow server owners to turn off the chat reporting system, if they want to. And while the report system is off, new players can be welcomed with a warning about how that particular server is not being monitored. Minecraft already has a similar warning when players are running a modded version of the game.
What Will Mojang Do About Reporting System Backlash
Minecraft developer, Mojang Studios, is known to be community oriented and takes their feedback seriously. All the game’s biomes and a few mobs, mechanics, and features have been changed or implemented per the community’s demands. Their extensive beta and snapshot programs, along with the new Minecraft Preview app, are a testament to the same. But surprisingly, this time, their behavior is slightly off the mark.
In a Reddit post, Mojang defended the new reporting system of Minecraft and further claimed that they are “not planning on changing it.” Currently, the post has over 1900 downvotes and dozens of negative comments. Their defensive stance has only fueled the already heated community, and now, many content creators are also posting videos and tweets about the issues at hand. Though, there are more who are still completely silent on the issue and the least number of influencers who are siding with Mojang directly.
Minecraft Reporting System is Here to Stay!
From the looks of it, Mojang and Microsoft are not planning to back down in implementing their new Minecraft player report system. But at the same time, the portion of the community protesting the change is only increasing. This is the biggest backlash Minecraft has faced in its decade-long history, and things are still in an early stage. It will be interesting and literally game-changing to see how things unfold. So, please bookmark this page to witness the story around #SaveMinecraft as it develops. But leaving the future aside, what is your opinion on the new reporting system of Minecraft? Tell us in the comments below!
