PETA has decided to make a statement through video gaming, and it’s generating an interesting response.
PETA has recently published a video game on their official site that has caused quite a stir with Mario fans. The game features Mario flying in a Tanooki suit. The Tanooki suit is not the one that fans are used to seeing, rather it is one that has actually been ripped off of a real tanuki, which are raccoon dogs. The player plays as a bloodied, skinned “Tanooki” trying to get his fur back from Mario.
Their site states:
When on a mission to rescue the princess, Mario has been known to use any means necessary to defeat his enemy—even wearing the skin of a raccoon dog to give him special powers.
Tanooki may be just a “suit” in Mario games, but in real life, tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur. By wearing Tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it’s OK to wear fur. Play Super Tanooki Skin 2D and help Tanooki reclaim his fur!
I recently reported Nintendo’s response to the Super Tanooki Skin 2D game, and PETA contacted me today with a statement regarding the response that it is getting from Mario fans. Here is the statement from the email:
Mario fans: Relax! PETA’s game was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, a fun way to call attention to a serious issue, that raccoon dogs are skinned alive for their fur. We wish real-life tanukis could fly or swat enemies away with their tails and escape from those who profit from their skins. You can help them by never buying real fur.
Now, I can understand where PETA is coming from, as I, myself, am an animal lover. I see it this way…by Nintendo releasing a new Mario game, it gives PETA an opportunity for some publicity. The site states that “Mario is sending the message that it’s OK to wear fur.” Their statement to me says their game was “a fun way to call attention to a serious issue, that raccoon dogs are skinned alive for their fur.” All I am saying is that there are other ways to attack these serious issues. The games on their site are called “animal-friendly” games, yet they are worse than the games that they are attacking, or using a “fun way to call attention to a serious issue”. I mean Mario has been jumping on turtles for nearly 20 years. I don’t think Mario in a Tanooki suit is any different than a child in a dog costume, or any other animal, for that matter.
This is definitely a serious issue, however, in my honest opinion, I would hate to see it be dismissed or ignored because PETA is known for their over-the-top measures of addressing the situation at hand. By no means do I agree with what is being done to tanuki. It is grotesque and I cannot see how anyone can sleep at night, or even bring themselves to do something like this. I think we can battle these issues together, rather than calling out Mario for wearing a Tanooki suit.
I include this only because my cat’s name is Tanuki.
EA is clarifying their position on Origin bans versus forum bans. While they basically denied for ages that a forum ban also meant a ban from Origin-purchased games, there were plenty of examples of people who, after receiving forum bans, were also barred from playing purchased games and content.
This level of douchebaggery, from EA, you say? I know you are as shocked as I am, but let me offer a thought. Stop being a dick in forums and you won’t get banned in the first place. Seriously, it takes a lot to get banned from online forums so if you do, chances are you deserved it.
EA has a fairly sketchy reputation for opacity and substandard customer service anyway, and I’m sure some is deserved and some is not, but the fact that they denied that this was happening for so long in the face of tons of proof does not make me warm and fuzzy about the idea of buying games through Origin.
So the current policy seems to be “we might ban you, we might not. You’ll know when it happens” and they advise simply to call them if you have questions about it. Nice. The number, in case you want to contact them, is (866) 543-5435.
Soul Caliber V is progressing nicely and is currently slated for a spring 2012 release. This is the franchise that pretty much made me buy a Dreamcast. Then I realized how much I suck at Soul Caliber and then played mostly Resident Evil and Crazy Taxi, but that’s not relevant. These screenshots are, though.
Those who are having trouble getting a financially secure start in Skyrim might want to check out Jen Bosier’s “Guide to Property, Marriage and Money in Skyrim” over at VGW. Great tips on how to settle down and get rich. You know, while you’re not out killing dragons or stepping on talking dogs. You can check it out here: http://videogamewriters.com/guide-to-property-marriage-and-money-in-skyrim-29584
Finally, this is just cool.
