The organization has lauded EA's life simulator as the "most animal-friendly game" of the year, otherwise known as PETA's Proggy Award. The animal-rights group praises The Sims 3 for its option to let players "choose a vegetarian lifestyle," making Sims, "like their real-life counterparts, live longer, age more slowly, and feast on cruelty-free delights-from tofu dogs to ratatouille."

"EA's compassionate update to its perennial favorite shows commitment not only to animals but also to the game's players," writes PETA, claiming that the previous iteration was only vegetarian friendly by way of mods.

I'm curious what PETA would consider 2009's least animal-friendly game. My best guess is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for the Wii, but that seems almost too obvious.

The Sims 3: Most Animal-Friendly Game of 2009 [PETA via Gamasutra]

I know you all had your heart set on purchasing Take-Two's Ringling Bros. circus game for the Wii next week, and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is going to let you finish, but they suggest you first consider alleged abuses heaped by the staff of the world-famous circus on elephants and tigers every day. They've been investigating the circus for quite some time, and feel that the truth might keep you from purchasing the game.

"During our investigation Ringling performed at new venues week after week, but its abuse of animals did not change. Our investigator captured workers on video as they beat and whipped elephants dozens of times in venues across the country. We also documented workers use sharp tools called bullhooks to jab and yank elephants by their sensitive skin. The abuses we filmed were captured backstage-hidden from public view-right before elephants were forced to walk onstage and perform. "

They've even got a video up at their website, showing Ringling Bros. employees smacking around elephants, which is pretty ballsy considering how daunting an angry elephant would be. Luckily for the handlers, the elephants stay calm, barely registering the various slaps and taps they are given.

Slightly shocking, I suppose, but will it probably won't keep people from buying the game. The fact that it's a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus game for the Nintendo Wii, on the other hand, will definitely stop people from buying it.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals would really like it if Canada would stop killing adorable little baby seals, and this weekend they're making Azeroth their battleground. This Saturday on the Whisperwind server, activists are urged to travel to the Howling Fjord zone to take on four Canadian Horde seal killers. Why Horde?

Thrall refused to ban the slaughter of seals, despite multiple requests from the Alliance to do so, because Orgrimmar stands to make a large profit from the fur.

I'm guessing this special event doesn't fall within World of Warcraft story canon, and I'm not so sure that PETA picked the correct venue for their protest. I have personally skinned thousands if not tens of thousands of animals over the course of my first rogue's career as a leatherworker, from bunnies to turtles to kittens to small, fluffy, doe-eyed animals that don't even have real-world counterparts.

I do like their overly specific instructions on how to participate, however.

* You must be in the WhisperWind realm in order to fight. Visit WorldofWarcraft.com if you need information about how to switch into this realm.

* Once in the WhisperWind realm, go to Northrend, where you will find a zone called Howling Fjord, where the baby seals live on glaciers and boats float in the fjords. This will be the battleground to stop the slaughter. (Note: You must be at least a Level 70 player in order to enter Howling Fjord.)

* The battle will take place on Saturday, April 11, at 1 p.m. EST.

Anyone who has reached level 70 is going to know how to transfer servers, and most likely isn't going to be too keen to pay for the service in order to participate. Also, you don't need to be level 70...you just need to know you stuff...or be a Shadow Priest.

They did, at least manage to not pick a PVP server for their event, which saddens me to no end. So much for audience participation.

Here's the promotional video they've put together to commemorate the event, in which Canadian Horde seal hunters sound very much like some of my neighbors here in Georgia, because everybody knows that Southern accents equal ignorance.

Help Battle Seal Slaughterers in World of Warcraft [The PETA Files]

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!

Holiday Snowball Fight

Children of all ages will have countless hours of fun with this free holiday DLC, especially when they imagine the poor sackboy suffocating to death inside the poultry-corpse cap, desperately trying to chew through the ribcage with its tender little teeth in hopes of blessed oxygen, only three post-Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches away. You're welcome.

Turkey head is available with today's PSN update, along with the $1.99 chimera costume from Resistance 2 we mentioned previously.

LittleBigPlanet Weekly Download Update - Thanksgiving Edition [PlayStation.Blog]

First PETA created a gruesome, but sort cool take on Cooking Mama, using the doe-eyed chef to highlight some issues the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have with Thanksgiving. Then Majesco responded, pointing out that their games have plenty of vegetarian recipes, and even taking the issue to Cooking Mama herself for some overly cute quotes about animal lovin’.

Now PETA, quick to recognize a publicity train when they see when, have responded in an open letter, telling Majesco just how much they love their Cooking Mama games and asking for a vegetarian-only Cooking Mama game in the future. They’re even offering to help promote it, if the vege game comes to fruition.

Dearest Mama,

On behalf of everyone who worked on Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals, The Unauthorized PETA Edition, I wholeheartedly want to thank you for the hours of enjoyment you have provided us through your various Cooking Mama games. We played and studied them as we prepared our lighthearted parody of your successful series.

Based on your and Majesco's good-natured responses to PETA's game, I think you understand that although we made you into a demonic, knife-wielding maniac in Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals, we still love you. While we had a good time roasting you, the real purpose of our game, of course, was to bring to light some of the horrific practices of the turkey industry. And we mean the animals who are actually mistreated—not the virtual ones you cook up in your digital kitchen. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that, as a result of our game, tens of thousands of people have watched undercover footage from turkey factory farms, and hundreds of thousands have been exposed to the idea that how we treat animals matters.

It's great to hear that you want to "make the world a happier place," because that's pretty much what we want to do too (though it seems that we might have different tactics …). I do hope that you seriously consider making a vegetarian diet a part of your strategy for world happiness. By adopting a vegetarian diet, you can save more than 100 animals per year. Plus, vegetarians live longer and have a considerably lower carbon footprint. I know that—as you are a digital being—these benefits don't exactly apply to you, but I still urge you to take the pledge to be veg for 30 days.

Even if you don't take the plunge into the wonderful world of vegetarianism yourself, I still hope that you will consider making a vegetarian-only Cooking Mama game. There is such a variety of international cuisine, including Indian, Thai, Japanese, and Middle Eastern cuisine, with an abundance of vegetarian and vegan options for you and your followers to explore.

If you do decide to move forward with Cooking Mama: Vegetarian Kitchen please contact us so that we can help promote your game to our over 2 million members and supporters. I already look forward to playing it!

Best,

Joel Bartlett
Assistant Director of Marketing
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

P.S. Please give Max a big hug from everyone at PETA!

Uh-oh, I hope PETV doesn’t catch wind of this.

[Thanks PETA]

"I would never put rat in my Ratatouille," said a feisty Mama while beating some eggs. "Like any accomplished cook, I create my recipes to appeal to a broad range of tastes and preferences. My only goal is to ensure you leave the table well fed."

The release goes on to state that Mama, while not a vegetarian herself, fully supports the humane treatment of animals, with her new doggy friend Max making his game debut in the new title.

You callous, cold-hearted PETA bastards. You made her upset. She just wants to fill our tummies with goodness, and this is the thanks she gets? That's it. From now on I am going out of my way to eat animals. *eyes his cats*

Cooking Mama Responds to PETA by Highlighting Vegetarian Offerings in Latest Wii(TM) Videogame Release - Cooking Mama World Kitchen

EDISON, N.J., Nov 19, 2008

Food lover and culinary cutie Cooking Mama is a virtual chef who believes that good home cooked food, properly prepared from the best ingredients, can bring people together around the table and make the world a happier place. That's why Mama is taking a stand with oven mitts raised high against the latest PETA objection targeting her freshly released videogame, Cooking Mama World Kitchen, that shipped this week for Wii(TM) from Majesco Entertainment Company (Nasdaq: COOL). Mama wants people to know that World Kitchen includes 51 recipes from around the world, ranging from vegetarian fare like miso soup and rice cakes to international delicacies like ginger pork and octopus dumplings.

"I would never put rat in my Ratatouille," said a feisty Mama while beating some eggs. "Like any accomplished cook, I create my recipes to appeal to a broad range of tastes and preferences. My only goal is to ensure you leave the table well fed."

Cooking Mama World Kitchen includes more than 25 vegetarian-friendly recipes including delicious breakfast, dinner, dessert and snack options. And, while Mama is not a vegetarian, she fully supports the humane treatment of animals, particularly for her canine protege Max who makes his doggie debut in World Kitchen.

About Cooking Mama World Kitchen

Developed by Cooking Mama Limited, the second installment of the fan favorite Wii series is filled with new features including kitchen mini-games, 3D graphics, chef customization and 2 player cooperative cooking. In the game, players use the Wii Remote as a universal cooking utensil to chop, grate, slice and stir their way through 51 all-new recipes, ranging from parfait to Ratatouille to pancakes and French fries. A range of modes lets players cook for Mama's approval, their friends' picky palates or together as a team to create dishes in a new cooperative mode. A bonus hidden mode will even surprise gamers with competitive play against the original "master cook!" In World Kitchen, preparation mistakes are events unto themselves since new mini-games add hilarious fun with Mama's lovable canine, Max. Finally, a new customization feature lets players create their own personal chef or even an adorable mini Mama!

Cooking Mama World Kitchen for Wii is rated E for Everyone and available now for the suggested retail price of $49.99. To watch the official trailer and find out more, please visit www.cookingmama.com.

Don't fret though, Mama fans. There's redemption in store for the titular hero, and by the end of the game it's all turkeys and rainbows for our tiny, sexual stereotype.

Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals [PETA]

We explained how involuntary chimpanzee "actors" are taken away from their mothers when they are just a year or so old and forced to perform confusing and repetitious tricks. We also explained some of the horrible methods that chimpanzee "trainers" use, such as electric shocks with shock collars and prods, isolation, beatings with sawed-off pool cues and slapjacks, and food deprivation. Then, at the ripe old age of just 8, the chimpanzees reach puberty and their showbiz careers are over—and they end up being dumped at dismal roadside zoos or sold to laboratories for experimentation.

In thanks, PETA is sending Sega a lovely card and some vegan chocolates shaped like monkeys, which I am sure in their world means "thank you". In mine it means, "Haha! Those weren't real chocolates!"

Chimp, Chimp Hooray—SEGA Pulls Ape Ad! [PETA]

While Wii injury jokes abound, the rest of the game is filled with PETA-caliber serious messages. You'll trounce disembodied Colonel Sanders heads attached to robotic legs, eat tofu (natch) to double your size, and face many bloody buckets of death. It's a quick romp, one that's surprisingly well designed.

For those who tire of the infantile, pre-programmed, anti-PETA comments sure to come, there are five levels of chicken platforming awaiting you. Enjoy!

Super Chick Sisters [PETA - thanks, Neoness!]

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]

Wait. PETA? Wii? What the? Oh, here's why...

Since this month marks the one-year anniversary of our undercover investigation into the evil primate experimentation laboratory Covance, and since the demo of the new Zelda features Link rescuing trapped monkeys from cages, we thought we'd mark the occasion with a huge giveaway: One lucky winner gets a free copy of Twilight Princess and a brand-new Wii to play it on.

That's a pretty loose relationship, but who cares? Free monkeys are free monkeys and a free console is a free console. Rules are outlined on the peta2 site, but you'll have to check the site's blog for updates. This might not be a bad thing, as hopefully they'll post pics of PETA soldiers throwing fake blood on Jennifer Lopez in the near future. Michael McWhertor

Monkeys Want You to Win a Free Wii and the New Zelda! [peta2 via GoNintendo]