Fable 2 Is PETA's Game of the Year

The animal-rights organization has awarded Fable 2 with the title of "most animal-friendly game" for 2008.

Anyone who's played Fable 2 will speak to the surprisingly deep connection between the player and his/her dog and would say that would be enough to call it the game of the year for any animal lover, but PETA has other reasons for declaring Fable 2 worthy of animal-rights accolades. "Created by Microsoft Game Studios, Fable 2 is a vegetarian's dream come true," PETA said. "Why? In this virtual fight between good and evil, characters powered by tofu are just as powerful as their meat-eating counterparts - and are more fit and attractive to boot." So, no, it's not because the game makes you feel something for your canine companion, but because it teaches you that eating celery makes you a good person.

As PETA sees it, Fable 2 has a "strong pro vegetarian theme" because "eating a plant-based diet helps you rack up 'purity' points, wheras eating meat makes your character fat and evil...[Fable 2] is an effective tool that teaches gamers the real-life benefits of a vegetarian diet."

I guess PETA wouldn't be too happy if they took a glance at my Fable 2 save file. My character was grossly overweight and a serial murderer. He ate meat pies by the handful, and killed the grocer who sold the celery. I guess that's where PETA seems to be missing the point in their quest to read a pro-veg narrative into Fable 2's good-evil mechanic. Sure, it teaches people that eating vegetables is good for you. In the end, though, it didn't really matter (outside of the realm of cosmetics) that my character ate meat because being evil wasn't a bad thing to him, and Fable 2 doesn't really punish you for being bad. Or liking steaks.

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It's a game, it's not real. Animal cruelty in games or where no animals are harmed is OK, but this is the only exception.

Facepalm.

I shoulda seen this coming what with the vegitarian bent the whole game has.

In my opinion, they have no right to tell us what is right for animals, Lord knows they have enough controversy chasing them around, what with them funding terrorist groups and killing animals in their shelters

Yes! So by their logic when I see a used needle on the ground, I should inject myself with it, because I would obviously gain super powers! Thank you PETA! You guys are so smart.

Clearly Harvest moon lost its chance when you had to milk the cows.

Eating celery in that game might make you skinnier and less evil, but they forget that being evil sure is a hell of a lot less boring.

meh who cares they can rant and rave all they want hell as long as your not beating/starving/evil stuff to your pets then who cares.

They should stay away from games and go back to their Sea Kittens.

Well, eating vegetables and fruit in Fable 2 does give you purity but it doesn't affect your morality in the slightest (in fact, there is only one article of food that makes you more evil and it is not too difficult to counteract the corruption brought about by eating meat and fish by working at a job and setting the rent/income on your properties to low).

I had a evil character who was a strict vegan, after all, nothing goes better with the slaughter of innocents than a nice healthy slab of tofu! (WARNING: in extreme cases vegetarianism may result in genocide).

This is weird, because the first thing I did when I started the game was kick a chicken, then laugh as I got an achievement.

On the topic of good/evil and vegitarianism... there are a lot of arguements about whether Hitler was a christian or an atheist but one thing is fact...

He was a strict Teatoataler and Vegitarian.

See kids, History is fun!

"teaches gamers the real-life benefits of a vegetarian diet".. So if i eat my greens i get a halo and blue skin, fuck yeah!

Also, it needs to be said, theres a distinct difference between infomation and propaganda, and i think reguardless of 'good' intentions this crap has to stop, or at least ease out.

Edit: Does it not bother PETA that

My dog spent the game limping around and whinging for the whole thing, before getting

Well, I think they have a point. The game rewards you (by the standards which we're all judged as "good people" in modern society) by eating vegetarian and not doing anything cruel. So, in their eyes, the game is pro-veggie, and the dog companion helps bring in the pro-animal slant too.

However, they do miss the fact that the programmers weren't trying to make it so being good was the best option. It was only 50% of the options laid out to you. You don't have to listen to society's standards. Oh, and despite punishing your dog, he was pretty much completely loyal. And the player themselves couldn't even kill him, so it wasn't like they allowed you the option of mistreating animals. I don't think Lionhead included the veggie = good slant because they believe that vegetarians are better people than the rest of us, but because society generally views vegetarians as hoighty-toighty (what;s the correct spelling for that?) do-gooders who have increased empathy for the animals we all assume are food.

And, they're choosing Fable 2 because it's a popular game, and PETA desperately wants to be popular. And because action-adventure doesn't really strike the general society as a place where such a message would hide out, and PETA's trying to make us think outside the box.

Again, just to bring it into perspective, could you name another game of 2008 that you thought was more animal-friendly than Fable 2? I mean, hell, I was evil the whole way through, but in the end I saved the dog.

PedroSteckecilo:
On the topic of good/evil and vegitarianism... there are a lot of arguements about whether Hitler was a christian or an atheist but one thing is fact...

He was a strict Teatoataler and Vegitarian.

See kids, History is fun!

Hitler was neither christian or atheist. He believed in the occult. This is my favorite part: he believed that the "True Aryan" race were descendents of Atlantians who escaped before Atlantis sunk and were living in the Himilayas. He sent many SS troops to search for them, so he could create the ultimate race by breeding Germans with the Atlantians.

You're right history is fun!

Tenmar:
Clearly Harvest moon lost its chance when you had to milk the cows.

I lol'd.

I see they mention nothing of eating Sea Kittens in Fable 2, however.

wasn't there an achievment for killing a bunch of rabbits and cute animals, irony

HobbesMkii:
So, in their eyes, the game is pro-veggie, and the dog companion helps bring in the pro-animal slant too.

Actually seeing as how they're against people having pets (because it's animal slavery) I don't see how the dog companion thing comes out as a positive.

I wonder if they got to the part where the Dog dies and you have a choice to NOT SAVE HIM! (I didn't)

HobbesMkii:

However, they do miss the fact that the programmers weren't trying to make it so being good was the best option. It was only 50% of the options laid out to you. You don't have to listen to society's standards. Oh, and despite punishing your dog, he was pretty much completely loyal. And the player themselves couldn't even kill him, so it wasn't like they allowed you the option of mistreating animals. I don't think Lionhead included the veggie = good slant because they believe that vegetarians are better people than the rest of us, but because society generally views vegetarians as hoighty-toighty (what;s the correct spelling for that?) do-gooders who have increased empathy for the animals we all assume are food.

Yes. My point exactly.

my character never eats food (except for the 5 "crunchy cicks" required for access to the shadow-nutter hq place becuase i needed access to the silver key and gargoyles) i rarely let enimies get in close and even if they do i have a large stockpile of health and rez potions

Dog Fighter 3: Bitedown didn't peak their interest?

Well I am going to go on fable just so I can become pure evil now.

sheic99:

Hitler was neither christian or atheist. He believed in the occult. This is my favorite part: he believed that the "True Aryan" race were descendents of Atlantians who escaped before Atlantis sunk and were living in the Himilayas. He sent many SS troops to search for them, so he could create the ultimate race by breeding Germans with the Atlantians.

You're right history is fun!

I loves me some Nazi Occultism, but this is so very off topic... hmmmmm.

DI7789:
In my opinion, they have no right to tell us what is right for animals, Lord knows they have enough controversy chasing them around, what with them funding terrorist groups and killing animals in their shelters

what, i knew peta was crazy but. wow they just got more crazy points.
and the food made sense, you eat healthy foods you lose weight(combined with execise but being a hero you get plenty of that) and eating lots of pie and meat ect you gain weight, this wasn't "animal friendly" it was common sense

Oh yeah. You can also kick chickens and shoot rabbits. Forgot about that. The Chicken Punter!

Keane Ng:

HobbesMkii:

However, they do miss the fact that the programmers weren't trying to make it so being good was the best option. It was only 50% of the options laid out to you. You don't have to listen to society's standards. Oh, and despite punishing your dog, he was pretty much completely loyal. And the player themselves couldn't even kill him, so it wasn't like they allowed you the option of mistreating animals. I don't think Lionhead included the veggie = good slant because they believe that vegetarians are better people than the rest of us, but because society generally views vegetarians as hoighty-toighty (what;s the correct spelling for that?) do-gooders who have increased empathy for the animals we all assume are food.

Yes. My point exactly.

i think that is why they had the morality and corruption bar. being corrupt (in my head)means being drunk with power and falling prey to desires(with the exception of sex).

Hitler was a Vegetarian! I rest my case PETA is Satan Incarnate. I WIN!

And yet you can kill innocent bees, bugs, hobbits and different creatures :P
Well they DO try to ri your skull out of your throat, but they are still animals.
AND YOU KICK CHICKEN FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! (or at least in the frst game you do, did they remove the minigame?)

sheic99:

PedroSteckecilo:
On the topic of good/evil and vegitarianism... there are a lot of arguements about whether Hitler was a christian or an atheist but one thing is fact...

He was a strict Teatoataler and Vegitarian.

See kids, History is fun!

Hitler was neither christian or atheist. He believed in the occult. This is my favorite part: he believed that the "True Aryan" race were descendents of Atlantians who escaped before Atlantis sunk and were living in the Himilayas. He sent many SS troops to search for them, so he could create the ultimate race by breeding Germans with the Atlantians.

You're right history is fun!

I thought he was looking for the Spear of Destiny there (aka Spear of Longinus).

On Topic: PETA... (facepalm) They cant do anything right.

Johny_X2:

AND YOU KICK CHICKEN FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! (or at least in the frst game you do, did they remove the minigame?)

No you get an achievment for it. :)

Oh you still kick chickens. Oh my, yes.

Also, as others have mentioned, the game FIRMLY REQUESTS that you shoot an innocent bunny rabbit in the head at least once.

And eat crunchy chicks.

And kill all manner of innocent buggies. They're part of God's world too!