Does Minecraft Video Game for Kids Have a 'Sex Mod'?
Rumors are circulating online that Minecraft has an official "sex mod," which is raising concerns among many parents whose children play the popular computer game.
In an article published last week by the website parent.co, one concerned mother claimed that Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, has added a sex mod to the game.
"Did your brain explode? Because when I found out that this was a thing, not only did my brain explode, but my heart did as well," wrote the mother.
"I was going about my business when I suddenly found myself looking into the tearful eyes of one of my babies who was telling me that, not only was this kid playing Minecraft when she saw this, but she was also propositioned in this 'creative mode' room by another player."
"Now that the blinders are off, all Minecraft (and other playtime) happen only in the common areas. It's much harder for curiosity to get the best of us when sitting in a room with mom or dad," she continued.
"If we're going to put the world at the literal fingertips of our children, we must join them there. Their young hearts and minds depend on us to see them safely through."
The blog Scary Mommy also commented on the apparent trend, asking in a profanity-laden piece "hasn't 2016 been riddled with enough vulgarities and disgust already?"
"Apparently, in the app version of the game, you can install user-created modifications that let you 'craft' such cringe-worthy things as pixelated characters getting it on with each other," wrote the blogger.
"I could only bring myself to watch a few of the videos. (OK, just one.) I couldn't get past the 'gangsta' Minecraft dude banging a bikini-clad chick in the back room of a Minecraft whorehouse. (Yes, really.)"
However, the truth is more complicated, according to Snopes. The urban legends fact-checking website labeled the Minecraft sex mod claim "mostly false," noting that while "Minecraft can be modified by individual players, some of whom have created risqué 'sex mods,'" the game itself "has no official 'sex mods.'"
Snopes cited an article on the Minecraft-themed site MineMum, which noted that mods by definition are added in by players and are not the products of official programming.
"It's clear that a large source of the confusion is parents not understanding what mods are and how they come to be applied to the game. Mods are unofficial modified bits of game code created by players," noted Mine Mum.
"They are not part of the official game, they don't come packaged with the game and are not supported by Mojang."
Mine Mum went on to note that adding mods, including ones containing graphic sex or violence, is a complex process as mods "are not added to the game automatically."
"They must be downloaded by the player and added to their game files manually and on purpose. They can also be added to the game hosted on the multiplayer servers that your kids might play on."