The German branch of the animal rights organization PETA has issued a statement condemning Battlefield 3.
"The realistic computer game 'Battlefield 3' treats animals in a sadistic manner. 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. Killing virtual animals can have a brutalizing effect on the young male target audience. 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."
You can find the full PETA statement (in German)
here.
The scene in question occurs during a mission in the single-player campaign. The player is hiding from an army of Iranian Soldiers as they pass by. While crawling along a ditch, a rat crosses his path and starts to nip at him. At this point the player has two choices: 1) Kill the rat, 2) don't kill the rat.
If the player chooses option #1, and kills the rat so that the animals noises don't alert the nearby soldiers, the mission continues.
If the player does not kill the rat, choosing option #2, an Iranian soldier finds the player and shoots him, at which point the character's last act is to give the rat the middle finger.
I guess in PETA's mind it's better that the player die and the rat go on to live a happy life eating cheese and killing more soldiers... I mean, virtual rats have rights too, right?
About Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 leaps ahead of its time with the power of Frostbite 2, the next instalment of DICE's cutting-edge game engine. This state-of-the-art technology is the foundation on which Battlefield 3 is built, delivering enhanced visual quality, a grand sense of scale, massive destruction, dynamic audio and incredibly lifelike character animations. As bullets whiz by, walls crumble, and explosions throw you to the ground, the battlefield feels more alive and interactive than ever before. In Battlefield 3, players step into the role of the elite U.S. Marines where they will experience heart-pounding missions across diverse locations including Paris, Tehran and New York.
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: DICE
ESRB Rating: Mature
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Buy Battlefield 3