The study reportedly said Minecraft could be harmful to a child's development

Minecraft owner Microsoft is investigating reports the Turkish government is preparing to ban the game, the BBC understands.

A Turkish Family and Social Policies Ministry study said the game promoted violence, according to local media.

There were conflicting reports about what action the government was planning to take as a result.

Some said it would ask a court to ban the game, others that it would ask Microsoft to edit it.

According to the Haberturk newspaper, the ministry's report said: "Although the game can be seen as encouraging creativity in children by letting them build houses, farmlands and bridges, mobs [hostile creatures] must be killed in order to protect these structures. In short, the game is based on violence."

'Social isolation'
The report said some children could confuse Minecraft with the real world and be led to believe torturing animals would cause no pain, the newspaper reported.

It added the report was based on the experience of a nine-year-old and suggested playing Minecraft could lead to "social isolation".