Minecraft 1.19.1 introduces a new ban system and causes an uproar in the community. We clarify the details and shed light on the remaining loophole.
Microsoft and Mojang are tightening the reins on Minecraft and introducing a new ban system. In the future, anyone who uses a bad tone or misbehaves in any other way on any online server could be banned from the entire multiplayer – including private servers.
At least that’s what the (Patchnotes) announce for the pre-release of update 1.19.1, which is to be installed worldwide on 28 June. How the whole thing works, how the developers want to prevent arbitrariness and how server operators can leave their players a loophole, we clarify in this article.
A single player forever?
If we take a look at the English help article that covers reporting other players’ chat messages, we find the exact wording that is unsettling many players right now:
Procedure for reporting chat messages:
- A player creates a report, selects the chat messages that violate community guidelines, the category, and other details, and submits it.
- The message is sent to our team of Minecraft moderators.
- A moderator will review the message and the attached evidence and (if necessary) take appropriate action.
- If an action is taken, the player who violated the rules will have their account banned from playing with others for a period of time. In cases of particular hardship, the measure may also be applied without a time limit.
A two days older version of the patch notes made the scope of the measures even clearer by naming realms, i.e. the private servers officially rented from Mojang, separately from the rest of the multiplayer. So there is no doubt that all online play options are really meant here.
At the same time, however, it is also clear that the exclusion specifically imposed by official moderators will in most cases be subject to a time limit. In addition, one can submit one’s ban for a case-by-case review, provided that the remaining time exceeds 24 hours and the measure is not older than 1 year.
The relevant form reveals that the possible ban periods range from three days to one, two or four weeks, as well as permanent exclusion. What are permissible grounds for such punishment are listed in the (Community Guidelines) mentioned in the quote. They contain the usual clauses on hate speech, harassment, threats and general etiquette.
Meanwhile, a developer studio under Microsoft itself came under criticism for inappropriate behaviour. Allegations from former employees point to bullying, discrimination or worse:
How safe are the new bans?
When you send a chat message in Minecraft’s multiplayer, it is uniquely signed by your account and transmitted to the server in encrypted form. The reporting function thus relies on hard data and not on potentially manipulable screenshots.
However, this system requires that both the server and the game client run on version 1.19.1 or higher. This means that if your favourite server is still based on versions 1.17 or 1.18, the change will not affect you for the time being.
In addition, signing can easily be switched off by mod. It is then up to the server operators whether they allow players without a signature onto the server or automatically exclude them. So while you can avoid the danger of multiplayer bans as a precaution, this will not help you if you have already been banned. In this case, you will have to make do with the single-player mode for the specified period of time.
Are you worried about the new penalties or do you welcome them because the tone in Minecraft has been getting too rough for you lately? Feel free to share your opinion with us in the comments!
