Topic

to the developers: why does this game include the ability to abuse animals?

chickens in this game clearly and consistantly object to being squeezed, unlike the pigs, who constistantly and clearly constent to being both petted and nibbled and seem to suffer no ill consequences

i've have heard, though not experienced, that pigs can be tied up (together/seperately?) and i wonder if they still consent to this

by giving the non-human animals in the game the ability to communicate their thoughts and feelings means we can choose to which they can verbally consent to our requests of themmeans we can make choiceas well as the ability to consent but not prevent action towards them

unfortunately the game itself makes it difficult, though no impossible, to play without interacting with the non-human animals at all though doing so makes it significantlty more difficult meet general energy requirements

the non-human animals are self aware, can clearly express complex thoughts and emotions so whether they consent or not to being nibbled, squeezed, tied, milked, etc is it really necessary to have animals as a food source at all? if the developers feel it is important/necessary to have non-human animal products in their game then why not continue what they have already done? if we can harvest egg plants then why not bacon trees or chicken plants etc or at least make it possible for the animals to run away or attack in return. a chicken will sometimes say "one day we will squeeze you"

in many areas developers have done a very good job and clearly deserve recognition and praise for what they have achieved. and while there are many good points to this game they have failed at making it a game free of abuse and violence and i think it is necessary to be a truly nice game rather than a mostly nice game

i hope one of you wil reply to this

thanks

Posted 14 months ago by Fluffy Bee Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • You should read the Restaurant at the End of the Universe and then get back to us.
    Posted 14 months ago by Hrulgin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Just so you know, chickens actually don't mind being squeezed...

    I see hogtying as violent as putting a leash on a dog, and it's not presented as anything shocking... A kid would see it and not give it another thought. It isn't very violent if it comes across as not.
    Go complain about the fact that there is liquor and drugs, THAT shouldn't be in a kids game. *is half joking
    Posted 14 months ago by Cirnots Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Piggies enjoy being bound and gagged.  The talking rock told me so.

    Edit: And Glitch isn't meant to be a kid's game. :p
    Posted 14 months ago by VorpalCheese Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The chickens will let on when you have a high enough level that they actually enjoy it; it's a form of hugging for them. Hog tying is uncommon though and the game thwarts frequent use. The butterflies delight in being sung to, massaged, and being milked. They do prefer you do it when you are more skilled though. :)
    Posted 14 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I've been a vegetarian for 20 years now. I'm a passionate believer in animal rights.
    However, these are not real animals, they are pixels.
    If playing Glitch encourages someone to go out and squeeze a real life chicken, well then that person has some serious issues not related to a computer game, frankly.
    Posted 14 months ago by Lyn Frog, Esq Subscriber! | Permalink
  • OMG! This is a game.. and adult game to be honest! This in no way promotes real life cruelty to animals! I am sure no real pigs or chickens have been harmed making this game at all. If this game is "too violent" then I am sure that playing Hello Kitty would be more to your liking!

    I don't see where squeezing a chicken or binding a piggie is at all cruel, not like we are taking out the piggies and chickens and butchering them with blood spraying all over the place!  Try some of the other games out there like World of Warcraft and Everquest 2 were we DO kill animals! I think you would be horrified if this upsets you!
    Posted 14 months ago by Casombra Amberrose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hmm, I'm an ardent vegetarian and animal rights proponent in RL, but the stuff in Glitch doesn't really bother me. For one thing, it is so incredibly mild. The Chickens object to being squeezed, but it clearly isn't torture - it just annoys them. And I hardly thing annoying chickens occasionally is a big problem, when most games would have you blowing them up with tactical nuclear weapons.

    Plus, when your Animal Kinship gets high enough - they admit that they secretly like it. ;)

    I'm happy that the game doesn't involve any killing (not that I don't enjoy some "killing games" now and again, I'm just tired of ALL games being killing games). Trying to criticize it for supporting animal abuse is... a stretch to absurdity that doesn't really stand up to scrutiny.

    Now start studying animal kinship so you can get really good at squeezin' em! Then they like it (actually, the butterflies get to liking it so much that.. ah, its a bit strange..)!

    -Sam
    Posted 14 months ago by Phidauex Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The game is cutesy and surreal, and, in my opinion, giving the animals thought bubbles indicating their (usually bourgeois) reactions to ostensibly harmless actions like "nibbling" is merely an artistic choice. Besides, as others have pointed out, the animals are generally portrayed as outright liking the actions or secretly liking the actions.
    Posted 14 months ago by Zinfidel Subscriber! | Permalink
  • o_O Realy?!?

    This Is a joke, right?
    Posted 14 months ago by Li'll Missy Brenda Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The chickens tell me to chase them!
    Posted 14 months ago by Little Miss Giggles Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't want to be disrespectfully to the OP if they believe this to be a real issue (unlike the animals in this fake game) but this kinda made my day :) Though I haven't hog tied any pigs, everything in Glitch seems quite happy to be harvested from. Except for the rocks. If anything, I feel sorry for the minerals and rocks, one even told me to, "go pick on someone else!" Should I start a rally for the protection of our natural resources? (Actually, to be honest, maybe I should...)
    Posted 14 months ago by Lenny Ravenite Subscriber! | Permalink
  • So, if they don't like it, why do they reward us for doing it?

    I Luurrrrvvee squeezing chickens and nibbling piggies!
    Posted 14 months ago by Li'll Missy Brenda Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This has got to be a joke - and I claim my $5
    Thanks :D
    Posted 14 months ago by Sasca Subscriber! | Permalink
  • www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdi...
    Posted 14 months ago by phelps.mike Subscriber! | Permalink
  • This same topic will come up every now and then. It's been talked about many times in the last year or two. None of these questions have changed the way the animals are used because it isn't the point of the game.
    Some random's beliefs aren't the point of the game.
    Posted 14 months ago by Johnny Subscriber! | Permalink
  • LOL Phelps! Pretty much sums it up huh?
    Posted 14 months ago by Casombra Amberrose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Lenny Once you get to a high enough level of Mining, the rocks also won't mind as much :P They even flirt!
    Posted 14 months ago by Millie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm more concerned about the paranoid bubble tree, and the nymphomaniac spice plants!
    (they're all awesome!)
    Posted 14 months ago by Duck Bill Platty Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If this offends you I highly recommend you don't finish the tower quest in Jethimadh...

    (yeah--the game isn't for kids for many reasons)
    Posted 14 months ago by Shepherdmoon Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The chickens can run away and tell you they will get revenge. Or they say they have another squeeze. 

    Is hugging players abusive? I can splank you but not a chicken. 

    Signed, maniacal chicken squeezer.
    Posted 14 months ago by snarkle Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Look here you mister random poster with all I do for that chicken giving it a home not making chicken tenders out of it (though i am a chicken tender *wink*) I dont care how the chicken feels. Half the time I dont do a thing to the chicken. The pig on the other hand gives me meat which sells well taste great and is all around awesome. The chicken gives me hay.....which sells bad taste terrible and is all around yucky. Only reason I let the chicken stay is to feed me pigs who I adore.

    BTW we can cause each other sneezing fits try to roll a rook while some is doing something kill each others trees dump each other notes etc etc

    Far from peace we go to war sneezing powder in hand.
    Posted 14 months ago by Mr. JK Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I think the chickens only jump into the air when you squeeze them because they're jumping for joy. Also, since as we know how much cows enjoy being held tightly (see the work of the amazing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin) the same may well be true for our beloved porcines. And if they hated it, they'd tell us, right?
    Posted 14 months ago by xLIFEx Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You're absolutely right. I guess I will give up Glitch and go back to playing video games where I fight, break bones, and take out people with sniper rifles. That's so much better.
    Posted 14 months ago by TK-855 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • To the forum users: why does this forum include the ability to abuse grammar and syntax?

    Sentences on this forum clearly and consistently object to beginning with a lowercase letter, unlike clauses, who consistently and clearly consent to beginning with both lowercase and uppercase letters and seem to suffer no ill consequences.

    I have heard, though not experienced, that clauses can be ended without any punctuation (independent/dependent?) and I wonder if they also consent to this.

    By giving the non-human sentences on this forum the ability to communicate our thoughts and feelings, we have also given them the choice to verbally consent to our poor structuring of them. Means we can choose to which they can verbally consent to our means we can make choice as well the ability to consent but not prevent action towards them. See?

    Unfortunately, the forum itself makes it difficult, though not impossible, to post without writing a grammatically incorrect sentence at all - writing correct sentences makes it significantly more difficult to meet general laziness requirements.

    A sentence will sometimes say "one day we will revise you"
    Posted 14 months ago by Effigy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There are humans in this game?
    Posted 14 months ago by Jessabelle Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +3.82 Effigy.
    Posted 14 months ago by Cupcake Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Am I really the only one who's going to admit that I play Glitch mainly because I love abusing chickens, but I am too shy to do it in real life?
    Posted 14 months ago by Gist Subscriber! | Permalink
  • But..........."It's So FLUFFY"!!!!!!!!

    I just Can't resist!
    Posted 14 months ago by Li'll Missy Brenda Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It's a joke. Hog tying is pretty much exclusively in there because you're transporting a pig, and animal also referred to as a "hog." Get it? Hog... ti.. okay, whatever. Moving on.

    The idea that hogtying a pig is violent speaks more about the author and their assumptions than it does of the actual act in-game. To hog tie a person usually implies a sexual or violent act, as we can assume that they are being tied against their will. However, it was / is a common way to restrain a hog for any number of things: transport, medicating, administering first aid, etc.

    I'd be more likely to support your outrage if you wished for the hogtied pigs to be accurately represented. They should only have their forefeet tied, not their back feet.

    Will and an animal's wishes are taken into account in the game. I like how you very neatly glossed over interactions with trees and butterflies, who are quite happy to be milked / harvested. Butterflies can and will tell low level AK players to screw off if they try to milk without massaging first.

    I would put money on this being a joke if I hadn't seen five other threads about being "vegetarian / vegan / cruelty-free" in glitch already.
    Posted 14 months ago by Xev Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Of course, in world of warcraft the starter quest is invariably "Slaughter 5 animals of some kind".

    Least in Glitch they don't die!
    Posted 14 months ago by Lyn Frog, Esq Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow...Trolls are real in the land of Giants, too!
    Posted 14 months ago by Fimbles Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Actually the piggies do die after awhile.  You'll find a pile of meat in place of the piggie. So you probably shouldn't play the game any further. :> heeheee
    Posted 14 months ago by Tibbi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Are we really having this discussion in a game where butterflies give milk, chickens give grain, eggs grow on trees and pigs come out of eggs?

    Really?
    Posted 14 months ago by Louis Louisson Subscriber! | Permalink
  •   I think you're missing the point here; this game isn't meant to be taken 100% seriously, it's supposed to be a little tongue-in-cheek... And why are you ranting about animal abuse in a game? Animal abuse is a huge problem in real life, with real animals. If anything, Glitch is just pointing out how animals are treated in real life. 
    Posted 14 months ago by glumpot Subscriber! | Permalink
  •  Also, if you don't believe everyone about the chickens liking being squeezed, I've got all but one level of animal kinship, and here's one of the things the chickens say to me:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/31382043@N06/6275041942/in/photostream
    Posted 14 months ago by glumpot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "You should read the Restaurant at the End of the Universe and then get back to us. Posted 5 hr ago by Hrulgin | Permalink"

    That comment just made my day.

    "I've been a vegetarian for 20 years now. I'm a passionate believer in animal rights.
    However, these are not real animals, they are pixels.
    If playing Glitch encourages someone to go out and squeeze a real life chicken, well then that person has some serious issues not related to a computer game, frankly.
    Posted 4 hr ago by Lily Frog | Permalink"

    That one, too.  You guys are awesome.  This whole gaming community is awesome.  And the video link posted by Phelps is awesome.  No, I am not high...though I may have recently taken some purple...  But other shout-outs: T-855, Effigy, Jessabelle, and Lous Louisson. 

    Okay, so here is my actual thought, awesome community aside:  OH MY GOSH, SERIOUSLY?!  *cough*  I meant... no, no, I meant it to be in caps.  Okay.  So, you're playing a video game.  An MMORPG.  Let's compare mmorpg's, shall we?  Runescape: walk around and kill everything.  WoW: walk around and kill everything; occasional wars.  LoTR: play a storyline; walk around and kill everything.  Glitch: walk around and harvest the world sustainably, helping out other players, building new areas, and fighting for imagination. 

    So you're seriously going to nitpick on some chicken squeezing?
    Posted 14 months ago by Ren_tara, BatQueen Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I know a real-life chicken that actually likes being squeezed. She's one of my relatives' pets on a tree farm and loves being hugged. (No grain pops out. Or eggy scambles.)
    Posted 14 months ago by Aoi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You do realise all the trees and rocks are self-aware too, in this game?
    Posted 14 months ago by Saro Subscriber! | Permalink
  • All 1s and 0s that are grouped together to represent a stylized and cartoonish chicken have rights too!
    Posted 14 months ago by Vicereine Linnæa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I can't recall any direct sources, but from what I've read from studies I think it's been pretty much agreed that people who commit "game inspired" violence against people would generally be likely to do so in other ways if they hadn't played the games, and I would assume that the same factors would apply to people who have the traits that makes a person want to squeeze chickens for grain.

    Edit: I just noticed a chicken saying "Psst! I don't mind really." So, they are playing hard to get. Like chicks usually do. Now let the feminists take over... ;)
    Posted 14 months ago by Ed Cetera Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Have you noticed though that the chickens often say "One day chickens will squeeze you!".  Hmmm future direction of Glitch mehbe?????
    Posted 14 months ago by dmnddgs Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Given some of the community responses in other threads I am pretty shocked that everyone answered Fluffy Bee with some variant of "it's a game lol". As if that makes anything permissible. Or "this isn't for kids" as if adults don't have a responsibility to examine the messages being conveyed by entertainment and media.

    I don't even care if the original post was a troll or not. It's too similar to other people posting in other forums about unrealistic, distorted female shapes or the subtle racisim of dark skinned monsters and being met with "lol noob it's just a game".

    I'm a meat eater in RL but I appreciate being occassionally reminded of what that means. To think that almost no one really addressed the OP with a considered response should be embarassing for a community of people who spend post after post decrying spice tree poisoning.

    The fact that the best foods in Glitch are created with meat does send a larger message and pretending otherwise is a cop out. One of the small things I appreciated immediately about Minecraft was the fact that the two best foods in the game are vegetarian, rendering the killing of passive creatures entirely pointless. It was singularly refreshing to finally encounter a game that eschewed the meat-trap.
    Posted 14 months ago by Hydi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hydi - you do not KILL animals in Glitch. The only thing you can actively kill is a tree - and it does cry out in anguish. Perhaps we should be more worried about that message.

    :) - a joke for those who do not get it.
    Posted 14 months ago by Kookaburra Subscriber! | Permalink
  • In Russian Ur, chicken squeezes you!
    Posted 14 months ago by Merope Subscriber! | Permalink
  • r cctuy8,fw edfsvzx708-03q2area gsscmvx oskcfxety45

    That was my head, on my keyboard. Repeatedly. 

    (Holy cow, I actually spelled something out.....no clue how that happened!) 
    Posted 14 months ago by NutMeg Botwin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Mmmmmmm meat=good eats!  :-)
    Posted 14 months ago by Poppy of Detwoit Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm not afraid that people could think squeezing chickens is fun and try to do that in real life. But I'm concerned that the way meat is gathered in this game contributes to a culture of 'we don't know where our meat is coming from and what it costs to get it'. I'm mean, nibbling a pig that happily gives you a rib and a steak? Most carnivores couldn't kill an animal yet they love spare ribs and steaks and hamburgers and hot dogs. I'm a vegetarian and I'd rather see that we have to kill the pigs to get the meat so that the gamers actually see the consequences of their actions. That's what's missing in every western society: We don't see the consequences of meat production. It's just inconsistent not to be able to kill an animal but pay someone else for doing it.
    Posted 14 months ago by Pulse Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I am fully aware that I could never kill an animal for food (except maybe a fish, but I'm not fond of fishing anyway, and could certainly not spear a fish; even with a pole or net, I'd probably want to put it back in the water). I could never be like my great grandmother who could step into her backyard, snap a chicken's neck and then cook it up for dinner (that's just how one had to live in her time- you used what you had).

    I am fully aware that it is not a pleasant process IRL, and I do not like killing animals in most games that require it (though I feel less bad about the animals that attack me while I'm just minding my own business).

    I love animals. I had a difficult time with dissection in science classes when I was in Jr. High and High School, and I was thankful I didn't have to dissect pig fetuses at the very least, like some classes did.

    I know how much personality a cow can have. I know how much personality a pig can have. I certainly could never eat one that I'd made a pet of... nor bear to think of them being made into someone's dinner.

    Just because I love animals and am aware of the processes it takes to make the meat we buy in the store, does not mean that I don't still enjoy meat as a food item at dinner. It does not mean that I do not appreciate what was sacrificed for my sustenance, as it has been throughout the ages for man and animal alike.

    I don't think this game needs animal killing to push some educational agenda about how meat gets from the creature to the dinner plate. That is something that should be taught elsewhere. This game is not a political forum.

    I love that the creatures in this game are not harmed by my actions. I love that I don't have to kill for food. The animals love me, and I can love them. I don't think the game promotes animal cruelty or violence in any way. It is a world of whimsy. A world unlike our own. A place to which one can escape.

    The chickens are simply annoyed when they're squeezed (despite secretly liking it). My cat gets annoyed sometimes (okay, often) when I pick him up and cuddle him, though he always purrs, so he must like it a little (though I guess he always purrs if I so much as glance at him). That's about as bad as this game gets in regards to animals.

    "Oooh, my cute smoospy poo! Did you miss mama today?" "Mrow-grumble-grumble. *purrrrrrr*"
    Posted 14 months ago by Little Miss Giggles Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ Pulse <rolls her eyes> Pllllleeeeezzzzzze. This is considered an adult game and by now I am sure most of us KNOW where meat comes from and how it is obtained. I myself grew up on a farm and owned my own farm, I am very much aware where meat comes from trust me. This is a GAME... get over it. If this game bothers you so very much then don't play it! It is just that easy! I am getting so sick of the people wanting to make everything so PC. This is a GAME, if you cannot separate a game vs real life you have issues that may need to be addressed.
    Posted 14 months ago by Casombra Amberrose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes, I know that when I need to learn something about real life, or when I was teaching my daughter about the real world, we always looked to online video games to teach us the true way that things work.  
    If it weren't for television shows, movies and video games...I don't know how any of us could learn anything about the natural world.
    What did we ever do before video games??  
    Posted 14 months ago by Poppy of Detwoit Subscriber! | Permalink
  • tldr; Is this a joke?
    Posted 14 months ago by Kara Thrace Subscriber! | Permalink