Throughout Mojang’s development of Minecraft, there’s been some confusion and unhappiness in the community. One of these was a recent decision to implement chat reporting, allowing anyone to possibly get another user banned from all servers. This wasn’t seen as helpful or good by millions, as it can be used for malicious purposes and other insidious activities. In more recent times, something similar has happened again that’s sparking outrage. This regards Minecraft’s EULA, specifically the “adult content” rules for anything in-game. For over a decade this wasn’t an issue and almost no one wanted this change, but it suddenly happened. Many server owners will be impacted by this new rule, even Hypixel, despite its popularity. What’s the change? Why did it happen? Will it negatively affect Minecraft? Don’t worry, we’ll give you the context to this entire situation and answer all your questions. Let’s begin!
What Happened?
Before diving into the impact of this change, you’ll want to know the backstory to Mojang’s decision. In May of 2023, a server called Grand Theft Minecart (GTM) received an email from the Minecraft Enforcement Team stating that they broke the EULA. Some players of the community sent reports to this team regarding guns and weapons, as it should be considered “adult content”. After a manual review was triggered for GTM, a directive from Mojang Leadership agreed with the reports and classified these features as non-compliant with the rules. Essentially, all guns and weapons that are too realistic aren’t allowed. This isn’t only for the EULA too, as it’s associated with Mojang Brand Guidelines and Commercial Guidelines. Further into the email, the team forcibly requested that GTM take actions to resolve the situation. If nothing is done about it, then they’ll get banned from Minecraft.
This came as a surprise to the server and other similar networks, especially since some of them operated for over a decade! Grand Theft Minecart replied to the email after discussing this topic with different owners, coming to the conclusion that this is tyrannical behavior on Mojang’s part. Later on, GTM asked permission to classify their guns as “airsoft” and retexturing the models with orange tips. This wasn’t enough for the enforcement team, as they were still considered real weapons due to their naming in-game. Fortunately, after some back and forth GTM understands the appropriate actions to take so their server continues on for many to enjoy. If you want to read more about the exact responses and thoughts on this situation, review this thread.
Gun Ban’s Impact
With all this information about the Minecraft gun ban, what’s going to happen to everyone else? Answering this question isn’t an easy task, as it’s still unclear if the Minecraft Enforcement Team will punish all servers that have guns in-game. For example, Hypixel has a Cops & Crims minigame mode that revolves around “adult content” weapons. This is the most popular Minecraft server in the world, so will the team enforce this rule on them? Who knows, but what we do know is that breaking the EULA results in severe punishments.
Assuming Mojang Leadership decides that every server with guns is wrong, regardless of popularity, then thousands of players will be unhappy. This both impacts public and private networks, meaning you can’t have these weapons at all. Remember, Mojang will only know about it if there’s sufficient evidence and reports. This brings up another question…
The Future of Minecraft
What’s the future of Minecraft, is it bright or dark? At the current moment, any player can report a server for breaking the rules. This may seem normal and healthy, but considering guns have been around for a decade means that Mojang can suddenly enforce other terms. This can even dogpile onto mods and plugins offering similar features, possibly client-sided resource packs too. The extent of this EULA condition can be extremely damaging for modpacks, server owners, and average players wanting to enjoy a so-called “adult content” experience in Minecraft. The trailer of the game says that no one can tell you what to do, as you create the adventure. With the recent behavior of Mojang, this is no longer true and users are realizing it. In short, the answer to Minecraft’s future depends on if it becomes too restricted. Some players may actually want more limitations to protect them from harmful influences, which might make it easier for Mojang to double-down on their enforcement.
Conclusion
The entire situation of Grand Theft Minecart and Minecraft Enforcement Team reveals a horrible truth about Mojang, they have all the control over what you can do in-game. The average player may not feel this power from them, but thousands of others might. Later on, the community may become upset at other enforced rules. Some of these could be new EULA terms that aren’t created yet, making Mojang the overlords of Minecraft. We hope this blog helped you understand the gun ban situation in our beloved game. Have a good one, gamers!
Start Your Minecraft Server
Get started with your own minecraft server in 5 min and start trying out these great features.
