• From: Antwerp, Belgium
  • Registered: 2006-11-11
  • Posts: 88

Topic: Fable 2: The Great Vegetarian Sim?

I picked to following snippet over from gamespy.com

"PETA Names Fable II Most Animal-Friendly Video Game (X360)
Lionhead's role-playing game has a vegan-friendly message, if you don't embrace your evil side, that is.
By GameSpy Staff | Jan. 6, 2009

With more than 2 million members, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, but apparently they're also gamers. In the organization's sixth annual Proggy Awards, the organization recognized Lionhead Studios' Fable II as the Most Animal-Friendly Video Game.

According to PETA:

    "Created by Microsoft Game Studios, Fable 2 is a vegetarian's dream come true. 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. Featuring a strong pro-vegetarian theme, eating a plant-based diet helps you rack up "purity" points, whereas eating meat makes your character fat and evil. A fun and innovative game, it's also an effective tool that teaches gamers the real-life benefits of a vegetarian diet.


Now lets take a look at the last sentence.

"A fun and innovative game"

0k, I can still accept this, but then it goes horribly wrong.

"it's also an effective tool that teaches gamers the real-life benefits of a vegetarian diet"

Say what? They talk about "real-life benefits". How can a game like Fable ever show the real life benefits of anything...it's a game, not even a simulation. It's even in a fantasy world and it's GAME!!!!!
What's next? NRA praising World Of Warcraft for showing the real life benefits of carrying a gun?

What's even funnier is that PETA finds this great because only evil creatures eat meat. To all great vegan murderers, dictators, gangster, drug barons and other maniacs...eat meat else you'll look like a sissy.
I've got nothing against what people prefer to eat or not eat, but this kind of nonsense however makes me crave for the soft taste of a tender....

Last edited by Midragar (2009-01-07 17:11:40)

Midragar's Website

  • Darkhawk
  • Fluffy harmless Teddy bear
  • Offline
  • From: Denmark
  • Registered: 2006-10-01
  • Posts: 710

Re: Fable 2: The Great Vegetarian Sim?

... Carrot?

  • Norah
  • Da Vincian
  • Offline
  • From: the Netherlands
  • Registered: 2006-10-09
  • Posts: 493

Re: Fable 2: The Great Vegetarian Sim?

I wonder if they also programmed in all the tofu-shovelling good characters developing Alzheimer's at age 60 (or sooner).

-Norah/Liath-
"Do not follow! The milk is not ready, and you are not ready for the milk!"
-Psychonauts: Milkman Conspiracy area

Norah's Website

  • Registered: 2006-10-01
  • Posts: 912

Re: Fable 2: The Great Vegetarian Sim?

Well, games, just like any other art or entertainment, do teach values. I've not played Fable myself so I don't know what values it tries to teach or manages to teach. It'd not clear either if violent media teaches people into violence or out of it - probably both, I'd think, depending on the particular game/film and the person playing/watching it. The effect is most likely very small, but sure it's there.

In the current situation, just *having* tofu as a food in a game could be considered a vegetarian message, since it's pretty rare. Just like having female action heroes used to be.