PETA issues guide to vegan living in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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Manila clams have feelings too

(Image credit: Nintendo)

PETA's answer to Animal Crossing: New Horizons is unexpectedly cheeky, as the animal rights organization has issued a fairly extensive guide on treating animals ethically in Nintendo's new life sim.

Fishing, catching bugs, donating animals to your island's museum, and building dog houses in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are all firmly non-vegan activities, according to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). I can't speak for the organization, but it reads more like a topical reminder to treat animals fairly out in the real world and encourage others to do the same, rather than an indictment of the game itself. At the same time, PETA highlights some of the in-game benefits of following a vegan lifestyle in New Horizons.

For instance, the guide encourages you to eat as much fruit as possible, noting the associated boosts to shoveling power. It's also worth noting that it's impossible to eat anything but fruit in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. 

"Now, the whole world knows the answer to the eternal question of what a vegan would eat on a desert island: fruit! In the game, it makes you strong," the guide reads. "When you eat enough fruit, you actually become strong enough to shatter rocks and receive extra bells and resources from them."

If you want the full run-down, you can check out the guide in its entirety here. One standout section implores you to cut Tom Nook some slack for potentially exploiting you for cheap labor. After all, the loan shark is a tanuki, "who are often killed for their fur. Others like him in the real world are beaten, anally electrocuted, gassed, or skinned alive." Now you can wrestle with that mental imagery when Nook asks you to build a house for a villager in return for a ladder.

PETA does assure Nintendo fans that they have nothing against Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and that they hope the game encourages players to treat animals ethically. "By populating your island with animals such as sheep, deer, and rabbits who have strong personalities, Nintendo is reinforcing the important fact that animals are individuals," PETA writes.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.