The lovely individuals at PETA have apparently joined the crusade against Call of Duty: World at War, just a mere five months after the game’s release. They weren’t aware of the ability to kill dogs in the previous 2007 installment either, but luckily a group of students at the Academy of Notre Dame alerted them to the cruelty inflicted upon these polygonal pooches.
PlayStation LifeStyle previously reported on this topic, but the situation has since escalated. This is the official statement from PETA:
“Not since we were pitted against Nazi attack dogs when we first escaped from Castle Wolfenstein 17 years ago have we seen such barbaric treatment of dogs in video games as we did in Call of Duty, World at War. During the course of the game, you are forced to shoot attack dogs and you can actually unlock a “reward” that allows you to unleash a pack of attack dogs on enemies. In a post–Michael Vick world, you’d think that Activision Blizzard, which publishes the popular game, would take abusing dogs for entertainment purposes more seriously.
Fortunately, some students at a Massachusetts high school are not keeping quiet about their disgust with Activision. To help the folks at Activision Blizzard learn about the ethical treatment of animals (something we’re sorta experts on) we’re offering to let them take PETA’s “Developing Empathy for Animals” seminar free of charge, and we’re sending a package of dog-friendly Nintendogs games to their office.
With a little Nintendogs influence, perhaps the next Call of Duty game will have you unlock achievements for petting the dogs you encounter and going on walks or playing Frisbee with them.”
So what are your thoughts? Is PETA justified in singling out this game?
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