Unlike that other video game goat-killing event, Funcom keeps things virtual with it's holiday goat hunt, with a prize package consisting mainly of the game's pre-order bonuses and two months free game time up for grabs for whoever manages to down one of the poor creatures. The trick is, there's only one goat per server, so only one person per server can win. Riddles as to the goat's location can be found at the official site, along with a listing of servers where the goat has already appeared and went down.

While some servers have already held their events, more will be having theirs on the 29th, 30th, and 31st, so who knows? You might still have a chance to get your goat. What you do with it when you get it is your business.

In-Game Season Event [Age of Conan via Massively]

This is sort of random, today's Get Fuzzy strip deals with Sony's Goat Gate.

In it, Satchel says he doesn't want to go to a video game store because "at a game's launch party, they wanted people to pull stuff out of a dead goat."

OK, there's no way Darby Conley isn't a gamer if he knows about the God of War II launch party in Europe, I don't think it made that big a splash in mainstream media. So what do you think? Is he a PS3, Wii or 360 owner? Brian Crecente

I've always sided with the video game industry against the Jack Thompsons of this world who are out to make a name for themselves by blaming gamers for all of society's problems, but when a company of Sony's stature goes out of its way to commit an act of senseless violence for a promotion, you have to start questioning whether they have any concern at all about the message they're sending to fans.

I have to applaud PETA's statement for not clumping all gamers into a category that enjoys senseless violence both inside and outside video games. Some of us love fluffy little goats too and like seeing them on an old hillside every once and awhile (alive, mind you). Kim Phu

Sony's Goat-Slaughter Debacle [PETA via Joystiq]

Sony held a press event back in March that featured a semi-decapitated goat, women with painted jubblies and Greek soup. UK tabloid Mail on Sunday FREAKED and ran a big story on it. Others freaked as well! Over at game blog GameSetWatch, writer and salad eater Brandon Sheffield offered his three cents on the recent Goatgate clusterfuck:

I myself am a vegetarian - I know what meat is and where it comes from. Do you? What is the difference between a dead goat on a table, and a pot of goat stew? Hamburgers are served at many game events - nobody experiences outrage. Is it upsetting to know where your food comes from? Is that the problem?

Sony purchased this goat from a butcher shop - they did absolutely no wrong. It riles me to ridiculous levels that people would decry this, then turn around and get some fried chicken or something of that nature - no less barbaric, and in fact arguably quite a bit worse, since you're completely removed from the slaughtering process - you don't even know what you're getting.

Killing animals and eating them is horrible. So, is picking plants and cutting them up. All terrible, terrible stuff. This is EXACTLY why I sustain myself on a regular diet of Hideo Kojima's and Jack Bauer's snack of choice, CalorieMate. With flavors like "apple," "cheese" and "chocolate," the lab-made pre-processed yum-yum never stops! Brian Ashcraft

Op-Ed On Goatgate [GameSetWatch]