The German arm of the animal rights group, PETA, has issued a press release accusing Battlefield 3 developer, DICE, of encouraging sadistic and violent behaviour towards animals through its rat-stabbing gameplay option.
The press release, which has been translated into English, condemns a sequence in the single-player campaign where the player is crawling through pipes and can kill rats by stabbing them. The organisation claims that the sequence encourages sadistic violence towards animals.
“The realistic computer game Battlefield 3 treats animals in a sadistic manner,” it read.
“The game gives players the option to kill a rat with a combat knife in the back in order to then lift it by its tail, then toss it away… There have been repeated cases of animal cruelty in Germany, where young people kill animals. Inspiration behind these acts often came from movies and computer games.”
This isn’t the first time PETA has gotten involved with video games. Last year the organisation created Super Tofu Boy in response to the lack of vegetarian options in Super Meat Boy.
Have you played through the rat-stabbing sequence in Battlefield 3? What did you think of it? Is it unnecessary violence, or does it work in context? Let us know!
Chuloopa
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:35 AMCan we stab PETA members instead?
Chuloopa
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:36 AMALSO – that clip was hilariously AWESOME!
Tracey Lien
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:42 AMI know right! Man is defeated by rat, haha.
Chuloopa
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:48 AMYou say that like you’ve never watched Splinter kick Shredders butt before…
But, what really makes it is that with his last dying breath and last ounce of strength, he flips off the rat as a final act of defiance as the rat looks at him as if to say “U Mad, Bro?”
SilentWolf
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 12:32 PMYeah first time I tried it I failed ;_;.
But maybe its an attempt to show vulnerable the protagonist was in said situation?
Chazz
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:35 AMI think we should just pretend PETA don’t exist.
Spookshow
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 1:09 PMI second this motion.
Matt
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:40 AMDoes PETA know it’s just a game?
Milbo
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:42 AMChill out PETA, you can’t stab rats in the multiplayer so no one will ever see this.
Sean
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:43 AMLook at the facts people : nobody had killed a rat until BF3 came along. Now? Hell, I can’t feel normal without stabbing a rat before breakfast.
Jack
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:02 AMI played “Shadow of Rome” on the PS2 and I chucked tons of rats as if they were bricks. I guess cause the game wasn’t mainstream that nobody gave a shit.
Also in Metal Gear Solid, how many times have I killed or put to sleep little creatures and eaten them!
shodannet
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 11:24 AMI dont normally stab rats, but when I do, I stab them WITH RATS.
And didnt the video clip show stabbing the rat was a BAD IDEA?
Emanance
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 2:17 PMLets hope the opening mission for Skyrim isn’t as rat infested as Oblivion was or we will be hearing from peta again next week. If I remember in Oblivion you not only killed rats but also butchered them for their meat, so you could mince it up later on with herbs and spices you collected through your journey to make some tasty rat burgers.
Cpt. Cuddles
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:44 AMI think it is unnecessary, but most gamers and people for that matter wouldn’t even flinch when they see or do it in the game, considering how people try to exterminate rats from their home and properties. I wonder if PETA made a fuss about how you can snap a dogs neck in call of duty before it rips your throat out
D.C.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:44 AMI don’t understand why they’re so militant about EVERYTHING. The tone they always project is one for disdain for any one that isn’t apart of their organization.
James Mac
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:50 AMIt’s because they’re envious of our leather jackets, bear skin rugs and bacon.
Sean
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:54 AMLack of bacon leads to severe social and mental derangement. That’s a fact I just made up.
D.C.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:59 AMJust for that they’re going to wait by your front door and pour red paint over you, while screaming like crazed maniacs.
Spencer Adams
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:20 PMThat’s just cra… wait a minute… He’s right! All the major conflicts on this Earth can be explained by bacon-hate! In particular the ongoing feud between pigs and geese.
PunkDrunk
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:44 AM“There have been repeated cases of animal cruelty in Germany, where young people kill animals. Inspiration behind these acts often came from movies and computer games.” I’d really love to see there evidence to back up that claim.
Trjn
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:16 AMBe reasonable now. You can’t expect a group like PETA to make outlandish claims and then back them up with actual evidence. That would be entirely unfair and deprive them of all their ammunition.
Well, all of their ammunition that isn’t red paint being splashed on fur coats.
allanon10101
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 2:24 PMTo the best of my knowledge, there isn’t a single supported peer-reviewed study out there linking violent or aggressive behaviour to acts demonstrated in video games. All there is is supposition and unsubstantiated rumour. If this is the “evidence” they cite, then I have several other pieces of “evidence” for them:
The moon is bade of jelly.
Under the deep ocean there’s a hidden civilisation of crab-men
Deep down inside we’re all made of clay.
Grow the hell up, PETA
Slek
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:45 AMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kXUPy-dCx4
Whatever you say, PETA….
Jim
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:46 AMPETA’s bollocks aside, does anyone else see the inclusion of Quicktime events as weak gameplay elements? Cos that’s the first thing I thought when I experienced this…
James Mac
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:11 AMYeah, I did… I know they’re going for ‘cinematic’, but surely there’s a way to do that without making the game a QTE fest.
Meteors
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:47 AMDon’t these people have anything better to do?
Nestama
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:47 AMHm… so if stabbing rats in Battlefield 3 angers PETA, then slicing, cutting, smashing -EVERY CREATURE- in Skyrim will most likely cause an uproar.
Yes, I can see it now.
masha2932
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:47 AMThe rat in the game was biting the soldier. He was protecting himself against tetanus and as shown in the above clip it was either his life or the rat’s.
dmag87
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:48 AMSo from the clip, if you don’t stab the rat, you get killed? Perhaps if there was some kind of choice in killing the rat or not, it wouldn’t be seen as an issue. If you have to stab the rat to progress the game, I can understand why the animal lovers have a problem with this
GentlemanJ
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:49 AMCould not get past this part in the game due my involvement with PETA. I just had to let the rat keep killing me over and over again.
Ruen
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:51 AMI think this image sums up my opinion on this
http://faqsmedia.ign.com/faqs/image/article/110/1109799/bender_laugh_moar.jpg
Blueboots
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:53 AMI’d understand PETA if you chopped all the legs off the rat… then it’s tail and watch it writhe… i.e. intentional and deliberate cruelty.
The way it was done in the game was fairly humane considering the whole war setting.
Jeez I think a rat trap is far worse way to kill an animal as some times they don’t inst-kill and the animal takes a while to die.
I also really get annoyed when zealous organizations automatically associate games with animal cruelty. Well maybe PETA, they are people with severe mental and social problems…but that can’t be it, it MUST be games. And really I can’t think of many games that could inspire animal cruelty.
FatShady
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:55 AMI played this last night, on my first paythrough, I died because the Rat ate my finger????????????
Die rat Die! Revenge is sweet.
I like animals but i have killed a number of rats and mice in my time. All with poison or traps. I would not stab them, but i will still kill them.
Also, why are PETA going on about this, when there are hundreds of PEOPLE being killed in the game!!!! Seriously, one Rat… awesome job PETA.
Meteors
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:19 AMThe Rat, the.
FatShady
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:21 AMWell played.. well played!
Meteors
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:43 AMNo-one who speaks German could be an evil rat stabber.
TheLastQuestion
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 11:31 AMI think PETA forget that people are just animals too.
mike
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:55 AMWether you agree with PETA or not, I personally found this little event completely stupid and unnecessary. Not to mention the inclusion of quick time events on PC is just plain frustrating.
ShiggyNinty
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:55 AMHahahahaha! Oh wait…they’re serious…let me laugh harder.
Glenn
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:56 AMYeah, sure PETA, DICE kill a rat, you kill over 2,000 pets annually
http://petakillsanimals.com/petasdirtysecret.cfm
Why won’t someone sweep PETA off the edge of the earth?
NoiseAround
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:57 AMUghhh as a vegan I think this is dumb. I’m not ANTI-PETA because sometimes they do argue the right way or bring up good points, but every now and then they do something that hurts the cause and image of vegans. I think this is one of them/vegetarians.
ChunLi
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:08 AMThey’re a terrorist group full of hypocritical idiots. You should read up on them, I think their wish to rename fish as ‘sea kittens’ is as good a place to start as any. If you’re vegan, or otherwise, run far away from them.
Korolev
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 9:58 AMStupid? Yes. Sadistic? No.
Mr. Simple
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:02 AMPETA are a bunch of idiots who want freedom for all animals, every single one. That means no pets either.
Why can’t a logical animal rights group step up?
Scotty
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:07 AMI’m suprised they haven’t tried to find anymore rat cruelty in games. How about all those poor rats my vampire sucked in The Masquerade: Bloodlines?