Animal rights activists were none too happy with Zynga’s use of pit bulls as weapons in the popular Mafia Wars Facebook game. After sending a letter to CEO Mark Pincus, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) scored a victory: CNET reports that the game’s maker has pulled the dogs out of the game’s weapons arsenal.
PETA’s argument is that depiction of a domestic animal as an attack dog could lead to real-life abuse of pit bulls, who are already the most abused breed of dog. Although the organization acknowledges that “it’s just a game,” it felt the Mafia Wars depiction glorified the type of cruelty to animals that owners engage in when trying to “toughen up” their pit bulls.
PETA reports it is “sending vegan chocolates to Zynga founder and CEO Mark Pincus to thank him for his compassionate decision” to remove the dogs from the title. What do you think: Is this an important symbolic victory or much ado about virtual-ly nothing?
