“Sending in false reports is a bannable offense”: Mojang condemns Minecraft 1.19.1 exploits

The recently released Minecraft 1.19.1 update brought some interesting changes to the sandbox video game. Some of these include the ability for Allays to duplicate amethyst shards, a nerf to the amount of XP dropped by Sculk Catalysts, and possibly the most controversial one of all, player chat reporting. This interesting new addition allows players to report other players' messages for being inappropriate in any sense, which could mean slurs, bullying, etc.

However, soon after the update was released, Mojang realized that the new system was being exploited as they received numerous fake and incorrect reports. This essentially meant that the new system was being abused by a large number of players, and has since given rise to many statements from players disapproving of the new system. This led Mojang to respond to all the chaos on the game’s official Twitter account.

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Mojang responds to chat reporting system exploits in Minecraft 1.19.1

In a series of three tweets, Mojang reassured their players that they had “analyzed” the reports and claims about the ongoing exploits in the chat reporting system. The first tweet addressed the numerous online videos that showcase mods that can break the newly added system to showcase fake reports.

The thread went on to comment on the claims Mojang had already analyzed, confirming that they consisted of many false and wrong reports. They later assured players that they would continue keeping an eye out for further fraudulent reports.

The third and final tweet in the thread warned players not to try out mods that send inaccurate or automated reports. Furthermore, Mojang has made it clear that using any such mod is now a “bannable offense”.

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What is the player chat reporting system?

The player chat report is a new moderation feature that has been added to the 1.19.1 version of Minecraft. The system was announced when the very first snapshot for Minecraft 1.19.1 came out on June 15, 2022.

While Minecraft 1.19.1 has received ten more updates since the release of the aforementioned snapshot, the issue has persisted and is still a problem that needs to be addressed. As many players can predict, the exploit could lead to innocent players being banned and actual defaulters getting away with inappropriate behavior.

The new moderation system was met with major controversy, which is primarily accredited to the fact that it was a surprise addition, and that there was no communication between the developers and players prior to its release.

While almost every snapshot and pre-release for Minecraft 1.19 includes a section about fixing the player chat reporting system in its patch notes, it seems to be of no avail.

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Reactions to Mojang’s tweets and the new moderation system

Players and content creators definitely had a lot to say about the addition of the new system. While some players like Twitch streamer AntVenom were sure that the new system could be broken by any skilled coder, others expressed their disdain at having updates affecting the features available in private servers.

Note: For players who are unaware of this, the player chat reporting system does not affect the game’s single-player mode. However, with all the exploits going around and the constant presence of toxic players in online servers, players should definitely be careful about what they type and who they talk to or argue with.