The blockbuster game "Eldon's Ring of Law", which was released in February 2022, has sold more than 12 million. Players from all over the world have become the "faders" of the game and take up arms against vicious enemies. But at the same time, some people have stood up and called on players to "be merciful to their subordinates".
Some people are not satisfied with the riding element in The Eldon's Ring of Law
The story of "Eldon's Ring of Law" takes place in a place called "The Lands Between", and the vast land of the border is not only full of sinister monsters and bosses waiting for the player to challenge, but also has a rich ecology: from eagles flying in the air, to goats and wolves running in the wilderness, to crabs and lobsters swimming in the water, there are all kinds of animals, and players can also hunt animals to obtain materials to make props.
But just when "Eldon's Ring of Law" was half red, a group of people stood up and vigorously appealed: even in the game, don't kill innocent animals!
Blockbuster games should love animals?
On March 8, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) posted a video on Twitter calling on players not to kill innocents in the game. The move caused controversy. As of now, the video has been viewed more than 2 million times.
In the video, PETA provides 5 Tips for animals:
Take your dog for a relaxing walk around the lake.
Persuade the mercenaries on horseback not to exploit the horses.
Observe wildlife at a safe social distance.
Go to the animal sanctuary and remember not to use your hands and feet.
Spend peaceful time with the animals.
The video ends with "The player is caught by a huge lobster and squashed", and the last scene appears with the copywriting of "Go vegan" (becoming a vegetarian), which makes the player feel confused. Is this a heartfelt sports protection propaganda, or a pure spoof video?
However, it is certain that this time PETA uses a more interesting presentation method to express its own demands, which can be said to be a change in the usual style, and has not caused too much disgust among users.
You know, the last time Dongsen was targeted by PETA, his attitude was not so euphemistic.
In 2020, during the global pandemic of the new crown epidemic, Nintendo launched the "Collection! Animal Forest Friends provides an oasis for people who can't go out. While everyone was busy fishing, cutting down trees and doing business on uninhabited islands, PETA jumped out and launched a "Vegetarian Life Guide". It contains many suggestions, such as players should not fish, donate to museums after catching insects, eat fruit when eating, etc., which has caused a lot of discussion.
On the other hand, is the popular character in the game, Tanuki, the lender Tanuki, exploiting the player? PETA believes that the real tanuki cat is often hunted by humans because of the high value of fur, and the days are already bitter enough, so the player should turn a blind eye to the greed of the tanuki.
Is radicalism good or bad?
Founded in the United States, PETA is the world's largest animal protection group with over 9 million members and supporters. PETA opposes speciesism, focusing on industries such as food, clothing and entertainment.
Peta may have been kind in its intentions, but its style has always been radical. For example, members were mobilized to march in the streets to protest. They also often come up with topics that lead to controversy, such as that Major League Baseball should change the term "bullpen" (literally translated as "cowpen", referring to "alternate pitcher warm-up area in baseball games") to "arm barn"; people should change the idiom "kill two birds with one stone" to "feed two birds with one scone", and so on. These wishful thinking has been questioned for overcorrection.
In addition, in the field of games, PETA has even produced a series of spoof games. Among them, it imitates well-known IP works such as "Pokémon" and "Super Mario", hoping to encourage the public to pay attention to animal welfare and change their eating habits to vegetarian food. But these spoof games have generally received negative reviews, making the public, especially IP fans, feel sick.
PetA doesn't care, though. PETA believes that these means are necessary, and their mission is to convey the intellectual message of animal rights to a larger number of people, while radical means can attract media attention and make it easier to access free traffic.
Monster Hunter has also caused "controversy"
Violence in games has long been unsettled. For most players, games are just games, and reality is completely separate. However, it cannot be ruled out that a small number of players will be immersed in the world of the game and cannot extricate themselves.
In fact, in recent years, game developers have gradually paid attention to some of the violence against animals in the game. For example, in Red Dead Redemption, the player kills horses to reduce the honor points. In the second generation of the series, the developers also encouraged players and horses to develop relationships. This non-compulsive setting may be easier to steer the player and the animal toward peace.