14 DAY TRIAL // PETA, who might actually be the best known animal rights group, mainly thanks for the shocking adds that it has released over the last few years, has awarded one of its early Proggy Awards to The Sims 3. The honor for Most Animal-Friendly Game 2009 is given for the way the life simulation videogame manages to show how vegetarian lifestyles can actually improve the health and the longevity of those who follow them.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals organization established the Proggy Awards in order to “recognize animal-friendly achievements in commerce and culture.”
The Sims 3 and its World Adventures expansion were created by the Maxis studio within Electronic Arts and were both released in 2009. PETA says that “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.”
Clearly, the people who are giving out the awards are not playing The Sims 3 as there are actual in-game descriptions showing how the life of the simulated character can be increased through an adequate life style. Given the fact that life span is actually hard to extend in the game, being a vegetarian is actually one of the easy choices in The Sims 3.
Tracy Reiman, who is the executive vice president of PETA, stated, “Electronic Arts Inc. knows that compassion is strength. And by portraying vegetarians in a positive way, other players might be encouraged to give animals a break and stop eating them.” Before The Sims 3, PETA’s involvement in the videogaming world was limited to attacking casual titles in the Cooking Mama series for their limited vegetarian recipes.