Animal rights group PETA has awarded Electronic Arts a Proggy Award for 'Most Animal-Friendly Game 2009', thanks to The Sims 3's ability to create a vegetarian lifestyle for your Sims.
According to a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) statement, the organization's yearly Proggy Awards ("Proggy" is for "progress") "recognize animal-friendly achievements in commerce and culture."
The organization notes that The Sims 3 allows players to create vegetarian Sims, commenting: "In the game, Sims who live a vegetarian lifestyle avoid meat-based dishes and can even become ill if another Sim serves them meat by accident."
PETA also claims: "Rumor has it that game testers have reported that vegetarian Sims live longer and age more slowly than meat-eating Sims. Of course, that would jibe with studies showing that real-life vegans and vegetarians are less prone to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other life-threatening conditions."
Other 2009 Proggy winners include an all-vegan shopping center in Portland, Ore., a San Francisco fitness center that provides a doggie day-care program for its clients' dogs, and a vegetarian day-care center in Savannah, Ga.
"Electronic Arts Inc. knows that compassion is strength," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "And by portraying vegetarians in a positive way, other players might be encouraged to give animals a break and stop eating them."
I actually became a vegetarian a few years back. I was playing World of WarCraft, of all games. I decided to make my TooN as vegetarianish as possible. I wouldn't sell leather, only eat my veggies(sadly I still eat cheese so that too), I also became a World PvsP "CareBear". Meaning I wouldn't harm other players for the most part. I thought the gameplay for that was quite interesting sometimes. I still got my kill on vs a.i. and in Battle Grounds though. I'll tell you though, it's impossible to run from players who want to kill you as a warrior. So, after a long time I went back to being a full "Griefer". That was mainly because I moved servers to kill a Horde player who turned me into a vegetarian in the first place :P
I thought vegetarianism was a great inclusion to the Sims, and the way they implemented it fits the series' tone perfectly. Glad somebody is recognizing them for it (and this is coming from a hard-core carnivore!).
It's not a rumor. It actually says so in the trait description inside the game.
Eh, PETA. Don't get me started on them.