People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is extending its campaign to reach the virtual world. PETA has joined Microsoft's Minecraft, opening headquarters to protect digital animals featured in the game.
Minecraft players will be able to access the virtual headquarters through PETA's own game server starting on Saturday, Nov. 15. PETA's Minecraft headquarters were created by a professional building group in the game, Hyperscale and is an exact replication of their main office.
The organization's virtual headquarters in Minecraft, the sandbox video game that includes creative building, explorations, crafting and combat, also features farms and fields where digital chickens, pigs and other animals can roam freely. There is also an abandoned circus and slaughterhouse.
"True to PETA's mission— and unlike on other Minecraft servers— no animals, not even digital ones, can be harmed on our dedicated Minecraft server!" PETA writes. "Visitors to PETA's custom-made digital island will explore vast expanses of landscapes where the animals of Minecraft roam free. They can also visit extensive vegetable and flower gardens, walk through a fantastic re-creation of PETA's HQ, and discover an abandoned and decaying slaughterhouse."
According to PETA's director for marketing innovation, Joel Bartlett, PETA decided to enter the virtual universe after learning that many animal rights supporters played the popular game. "PETA has heard from nay of our supporters who love 'Minecraft' as much they care about the good treatment of animals," Barlett says. "They said they would like to have an animal-friendly server inside their favorite world."
This is not the first time PETA entered into the video game market. The organization released games to promote their message, which included the parody games Mario Kills Tanooki and Pokemon Black and Blue. In 2013, the group protested against the game developer Ubisoft for including the hunting of whales in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag.
Targeting gamers is a creative way to appeal to animal rights activists. Many people who play games connect with others who shared the same values.
"As people who love games, we do believe that games have a lot of value and should tackle important social issues, such as animal rights," Bartlett said. "You have gamers who want to say games are an art form but don't want them to tackle important social issues and we don't think that's right."
Check out PETA's Minecraft headquarters in the clip below.
Photo Credit: Hyperscale/ Youtube
