CLICK TO PLAY: PETA x Pokémon vs virtual animal cruelty

"Gotta free 'em all!" Pokemon, the popular videogame franchise based on "pocket monsters" placed inside balls, is the latest propaganda weapon against animal cruelty.

 

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) pointed out that Pokemon painted "rosy pictures" of animals being cooped up, waiting to be let out to "perform" and to fight.

 

"The amount of time that Pokémon spend stuffed in pokéballs is akin to how elephants are chained up in train carts, waiting to be let out to 'perform' in circuses. But the difference between real life and this fictional world full of organized animal fighting is that Pokémon games paint rosy pictures of things that are actually horrible," it said.

 

PETA also lamented generations of children "grew up believing Pokemon exist for no other reasons than to be used and abused by humans."

Compassion over dominance  

It added that children were being taught dominance instead of compassion.

 

The group drew up a spoof game pitting a Pokemon and its powers against a trainer and his or her "discipline."

 

A separate article on CNET said the Pokemons' struggle in "Pokemon Black and White 2" condones animal abuse.

 

CNET noted Pokemon Black and White 2 was released in July in Japan and may hit North America, Europe, and Australia this month.

 

It said PETA has had a habit of taking jabs at video games. Going after Zynga

 

In 2010, CNET said PETA went after Zynga for having animated pit bulls as attack dogs in its game Mafia Wars.

 

Also, it went after an Android app that lets users train dogs to fight each other, launching an iPhone app that highlighted stories about animal cruelty.

 

Last year, PETA also went after Nintendo's Super Mario 3D Land for dressing Mario in a fur suit. — TJD, GMA News