Once again, PETA is standing up not only for the protection of real animals, but also virtual ones. Is the complaint justified this time?
PETA takes animal protection very seriously. But unlike other organizations, they've always had their own unique approach. Video games, in particular, became a popular topic of conversation. Games such as Pokémon and Palworld have been criticized for depicting animal fights. The most recent subject of discussion are the new characters in Mario Kart World. They now want the popular “Cow” character to be changed, as it wears a nose ring.
PETA's Senior Vice President of Marketing Engagement, Joel Bartlett, wrote a letter to the president of Nintendo asking him to remove the nose ring:
It's not a style choice – it's a cruel tool used to control and hurt cows in the meat and dairy industries, which causes lasting pain and discomfort.
He ends the letter with a statement:
Every animal is someone. So leave the rings to Sonic and let Cow breathe free!
Is PETA Right This Time?
PETA has already made itself unpopular among the gaming community several times. Whether it was Super Meat Boy, which they promptly changed to Super Tofu Boy, or other bizarre criticisms that caused more confusion than anything else. Besides, PETA has clashed with Nintendo before, when they used Mario's Tanuki ability as a way to criticize animal fur.
But in contrast to other criticisms, here they are merely requesting a change to an accessory. Surely that would be easy to adjust and would not involve any major changes to either the game or the popular cow. It would simply imply that “Cow” is free – much like Ecco, the dolphin from the Sega classic, who swims through the sea in a mixture of alien abduction and drug trip.
Why Is This So Important To PETA?
A lot of people wonder why PETA is putting so much effort into fighting issues like this in video games. After all, games aren't the real world, and that's where animal protection should be addressed, right?
According to PETA, it is not only society that shapes art, but also vice versa. And when cows with nose rings become normalized, it could distort the perspective of many young people. For PETA, the nose ring should be a symbol of a cruel industry rather than a fun piece of jewelry.
What do you think? Would it bother you if “Cow” no longer had a nose ring? Is PETA right this time, or should we be less strict about those topics when it comes to video games?
