Whiplash Causes UK Controversy On Animal Testing

Thanks to Video-Fenky for pointing out a UK Telegraph article discussing controversy over the content of Eidos-produced platform game Whiplash, which is "being criticized as 'irresponsible' by police and MPs" in England, because it "depicts animals being abused in a laboratory, including one experiment in which a hamster is fired from a cannon." Labor MP Ian Gibson said he "feared that children would gain a distorted view of animal experimentation", and a spokesperson against animal cruelty "claimed that the game made light of animal suffering, which was offensive." Whiplash is not yet out in the UK, and was released before Christmas in the States to little fanfare, though it garnered some critical adulation.

Comments

Reality

[EnglishTim]

Th reality of extremist animal rights activism in the UK at the moment is that medical research using animals is under a serious threat due to the violent actions of the activists. A top UK university recently had to curtail its animal research due to the sheer cost of security that would be required to ensure the safety of its researchers.

There is currently a battle for the hearts and minds of the British public over animal testing. Unfortunately the non-animal-testing bunch are louder and have a ready stock of pictures of fluffy kittens with wires coming out of their heads. All those whose lives or reatives lives have been saved due to treatments that are the result of animal testing do not have the same kind of arresting image to get behind, and most do probably not even know that they would likely not be alive if not for animal testing.

Yes, the realits of animal testing is not always pleasant, but neither is a world in which your loved ones die of ailments that should be curable.

Bah! "Stop! For The Children!"

[DLWormwood]

I've already ranted once about equating video games with kids stuff, thanks to Nintendo...

That's the second time today I've encountered this misconception.

Re:Two different arguments

[orthogonal]

I dont understand, MPs? Police?

a note to our American and our Commonwealth readers:

In the U.S., "MP" is most commonly used as an abbreviation for "Military Police" -- members of the military whose duty include police jurisdiction over their fellow servicemen, or occupied territories.

In Britain and its Commonwealth nations, "MP" is most commonly used an abbreviation for "Member of Parliament" -- elected officials serving in the national legislature, with the reference most often to the British House of Commons, but also applicable to Parliaments of the Commonwealth nations.