To show their support to the student group that organized a petition to voice their disgust over the shooting of killer guard dogs in Activision's latest Call of Duty game, Peta sent Activision a care package...the is, a package that tries to teach them how to care.

To help the folks at Activision Blizzard learn about the ethical treatment of animals (something we're sorta experts on) we're offering to let them take PETA's "Developing Empathy for Animals" seminar free of charge, and we're sending a package of dog-friendly Nintendogs games to their office.

With a little Nintendogs influence, perhaps the next Call of Duty game will have you unlock achievements for petting the dogs you encounter and going on walks or playing Frisbee with them.

I think that's a great idea! Why don't we do this instead - go through all of the history books and documentation concerning the military application of dogs during World War II, and just erase it all. We don't want impressionable gamers getting the wrong impression of Nazi Germany, now do we? We could splice footage of people being lined up and marched into cement buildings with clips of people enjoying a puppet show! A few new lines of voice over dialogue and presto! The world is a much happier place.

Bah. Not going to argue realism with PETA. That's like going to a rave and trying to convince the kids there not to do drugs. They're already far too gone to understand what you're saying.

Also, I'd just like to give a pat on the back to the commentor that called PETA's response within the first few comments of the original post. You've officially earned an entire day of being an insufferable, gloating bastard. Enjoy!

"Max Payne" shoots to top of box office roster [Reuters] [Pic]

In January they named the greatest horse of videogamedom, Epona, from the Legend of Zelda series. This month they selected the best dog, PaRappa the Rapper, of course.

The judges this time around were Leigh Alexander, of Gamasutra and Sexy Videogameland, Tofuburger of I Can Has Cheezburger, Evan Wells of Naughty Dog, and myself.... of here.

Hit up the site to read everyone's reasoning and their number two and three spots. I picked the dog in Duck Hunt and the zombie dogs of Resident Evil as my runners-up.

And The Award For Greatest Video Game Canine Goes To... [MTV Multiplayer]

New site brings best of both worlds: Lolcats and the Halo universe

EARTH, OCTOBER 1, 2007— What happens when two worlds collide? Aliens versus humans-the classic struggle of good and evil. The same battle is being waged on Halo 3 for the XBOX 360, and starting today-on the internet too! Introducing Halolcats.com, a new site devoted to combining the Halo universe with humorous, and lovable cats. We've captured both Halo-themed lolcat pictures, and pictures of cats interacting with the replica Master Chief helmet that ships with the Legendary Edition of Halo 3. It's a match made in space!

Each day users will be treated to a new slew of Halolcat pictures, and they can even submit their own. Pictures can be rated and commented on by site readers, and we keep track of the best of the best in a "Top Rated" section. Like the medals earned for certain achievements in Halo multiplayer matches, Halolcats utilizes medals for each picture, bringing focus and editorial on what makes them funny.

We hope to harness the energy and enthusiasm of Halo players across the globe who are willing to take a camera, a helmet, and a cat-and make history with us.

About Lolcats
The origin of lolcats is somewhat unknown, but sometime around the early 1990s, cats were literally exploding onto the Internet. Lolcats are a combination of a cat photo, and wildly inaccurate, or otherwise humorous statements written on top.The result is a massively popular trend of sites such as icanhascheezburger.com, which rakes in thousands of page views every day.

About Halolcats
Halolcats was founded by two gamers and lolcat fanatics who took one look at the Master Chief replica helmet and thought it was the perfect opportunity to make something legendary of their own.

I recently purchased 2 guinea pigs. One of them escaped recently and I was amazed at what she ran straight to. She then proceeded to pwn me in the Halo 3 Beta.

As an owner of two guinea pigs, I'm astounded that one relatively new to a house would sit out in the open like that. They are extremely skittish critters...just look at its eyes. She's terrified. The only way one of my guineas would sit like that is via liberal use of crazy glue, and even then I'm positive I'd be left with chewed-off paws perma-glued to the analog sticks within minutes. There you go, cuteness and a mental-picture for the anti-cute to hold onto, all in one post. Something for everyone! Michael Fahey

Hamsters are probably the most competitive gaming animals around, with some putting themselves through years of vigorous training in order to completely dominate the gaming scene.

Be careful hitting the link folks. This is a person who has 507 photos of this one hamster alone. Appreciate the gaming shots for what they are, and don't get drawn into their sordid rodent world. Michael Fahey

Kumanoko Puffy BabyBear [Flickr Gallery - Thanks Robert!]

Playing fetch is out. Video games are in. Reachers at Emerging Art and Architecture Research Group, or RASTER, and Singapore's Mixed Reality Lab are developing a hamster video game. Make that, a video game for hamsters.

"To play a computer game with your hamster would definitely make us think about where we have come with digital tradition now," said RASTER's Vladimir Todorovi , a collaborator on the project.

Overlooking the obvious question (why?), the game, titled Mice Arena, is total VR version of Pac-Man with the a digital avatar of the owner being chased by a pet predator. The point, and there is a point, is researchers hope to learn about animal behavior.

"There is a history and tendency of playing games with animals but most games use very simple items that aren't as 'smart' as computers," said Todorovi . "For example, people use tree branches when playing with dogs. What we are exploring is a device that will enable clearer relations and maybe bring some completely unexpected results."

There's probably good reason for that, but we digress. Other games are planned, including the ghost/fowl title Chicken Petman. Wired reports that all games are designed to remove the human edge, meaning the pets will kill their owners.

More Here [Wired News]