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Slaughter: Horror at Sony's depraved promotion stunt with decapitated goat
Last updated at 09:07am on 29.04.07Electronics giant Sony has sparked a major row over animal cruelty and the ethics of the computer industry by using a freshly slaughtered goat to promote a violent video game.
The corpse of the decapitated animal was the centrepiece of a party to celebrate the launch of the God Of War II game for the company's PlayStation 2 console.
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GRUESOME: One of the party hosts stands over the goat's carcass
Guests at the event were even invited to reach inside the goat's still-warm carcass to eat offal from its stomach.
Sickening images of the party have appeared in the company's official PlayStation magazine – but after being contacted by The Mail on Sunday, Sony issued an apology for the gruesome stunt and promised to recall the entire print run.
Critics condemned the entertainment giant, which produces scores of Hollywood blockbusters each year, for its "blood lust" and said the grotesque "sacrifice" highlighted increasing concerns over the content of video games and the lengths to which the industry will go to exploit youngsters.
At the event, guests competed to see who could eat the most offal – procured elsewhere and intended to resemble the goat's intestines – from its stomach.
They also threw knives at targets and pulled live snakes from a pit with their bare hands.
Topless girls added to the louche atmosphere by dipping grapes into guests' mouths, while a male model portraying Kratos, the game's warrior hero, handed out garlands.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare said it was "outrageous" that the animal's death had been used "to sell a few computer games".
A spokesman said: "We are always opposed to any senseless killing of an animal and this sounds like a gruesome death. We condemn Sony's actions. It is stupid and completely unjustified."
The party features across two pages of the latest edition of the company's PlayStation magazine, which was due to hit newsstands on Tuesday but has already been sent to subscribers.
We have reproduced the spread – headlined Sony's Greek Orgy – here, but have pixellated the image to spare readers the sight of the goat's decapitated head hanging by a thread of tissue from its corpse, with blood dripping to the floor.
But the magazine's readers were shown the picture in its full horror.
The article, based on a Sony Press release, shows more vivid pictures from the event under headlines such as Topless Girls! and Flesh Eating?
It asks readers how far they would go to get hold of Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation 3.
"How about eating still warm intestines uncoiled from the carcass of a freshly slaughtered goat? At the party to celebrate God Of War II's European release, members of the Press were invited to do just that . . ."
In God Of War II, which is so violent it has been given an 18 certificate, players follow Kratos into battle against a series of fearsome characters from Greek mythology.
Sony describes it as "an adult-rated, fast-paced bloodbath – and enormous fun to boot", adding that it is "bigger, better and as brutal as ever".
One reviewer said the title featured "the most brutal, visceral combat of any action game".
Former Minister Keith Vaz, Labour MP for Leicester East and a long-time campaigner against violent computer games, branded the stunt "distasteful and irresponsible".
He said: "The slaughter of animals is not something that should be done to advertise a product.
"Sony as a global entertainment company has a social responsibility. At this event it failed in that responsibility.
"I think people should think very carefully before bringing games like this into their homes.
"I would understand if customers wanted to boycott other Sony products such as their televisions because of this controversy."
Sony, based in Japan and run by Welshman Sir Howard Stringer, is one of the largest media organisations in the world, boasting global revenues of £40billion from electronics, video games, music, television programmes and feature films – including Spider-Man 3 and Casino Royale.
It is regarded, along with Coca-Cola, Nike and Mercedes-Benz, as one of the world's most valuable brands.
The company, which released the game in the UK on Friday, admitted that the stunt had been a mistake. In a statement it said: "Sony does not condone or sanction any inappropriate behaviour by its staff or sub-contracted staff.
"It has come to our attention that at the God Of War II launch showcase, an element of the event was of an unsuitable nature.
"We are conducting an internal inquiry into aspects of the event in order to learn from the occurrence and put into place measures to ensure that this does not happen again."
The party was held last month in Athens in homage to the game's Greek mythology themes. Revellers partied against the floodlit backdrop of the Parthenon.
The Sony spokesman said the animal had not been slaughtered for the event but had been bought from a local butcher by the Greek company hired to stage the event.
What purported to be warm intestines was actually warm offal.
He said Sony's UK office had been shocked to see the report in the official PlayStation magazine, which the company licenses to publishing house Future. Sony is this weekend recalling the entire 80,000 print run of the magazine.
The offending article will be removed because of the "sensitivity of the general public over issues of animal welfare".
The firm refused to say how the goat died. It is unusual for animals in modern Greece to be killed by having their throats cut, let alone by being decapitated.
It is not the first time Sony has been involved in controversy over its games. In 2004, the PlayStation 2 game Manhunt was banned by High Street stores in the UK after it was linked to the murder of a 14-year-old Leicester boy.
Last September the relatives of a family massacred by a New Mexico teenager addicted to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City launched a £317million lawsuit against the entertainment company.
And in November, Europe's justice commissioner Franco Frattini was so shocked by the "obscene cruelty and brutality" of Sony's Rule Of Rose PlayStation game that he wrote to all EU governments urging tighter controls on the "dreadful game".
Reader views (11)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Sony sent out a press release with pictures of the event, and then are "shocked" to see it in the magazine? Does Sony know how press releases work?
- Billy, Oakland, USA
The release party was in Europe. I thought that Europeans were more civilized? I guess animal cruelty only applies to Americans.
- Cory, VA, USA
So it's terrible and depraved to slaughter an animal to please guests at a commercial party, but perfectly fine to slaughter an animal to please guests at, say, a dinner party? No, no, that's very reasonable.
- Todd, Los Angeles, USA
It's obvious that they aren't selling it to minors, they're selling it to adults, as the article says. The fault of games like this getting into the hands of minors is firmly with the parents who are stupid enough to buy the game for their children and the stores who don't bother checking IDs before they sell them.
Of course, there is no true link between violent video games and violence committed by people, aside from the fact that violent people seek out violence. That there is a link beyond that is merely a falsehood, generally perpetrated by politicians, usually by pointing to a single study which they, or their friends, have funded to produce the desired results, and those whom they have fear mongered into thinking that there is a link. Statistics point the way to truth.
Video games are simply this era's Rock n' Roll in the context of the '50s, or Comic Books of the '40s. Both had scientifically presented, yet unscientific, studies published saying how much they hurt the children. Comic Books were supposed to make children stupid according to the studies of the time, but truly scientific studies done since have shown that comic books improve intelligence and reading comprehension.
- Ryan, GA, USA
This is absolutely revolting.
- Ben, New York, USA
Its just a stupid publicity stunt. Nothing more. I hate Sony as much as the next man, but this is not going to force children to become crazed violence loving loonies.
- Eric, Mission, USA
So Sony bought a goat from a butcher, and people cry that's animal cruelty?
- Vince Johanson, Philadelphia, USA
we have been killing animals for thousands of years, its a goat.
- Jed, boston, MASS
Seriously, though, why are computer game (really, this is a console game) companies taking the flak? Wrath should be aimed at the advertising companies that come up with these things.
- Tom, Rock Island, Illinois
"It asks readers how far they would go to get hold of Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation 3." No one wants one to begin with - hence them still being in stores. It's sad that Sony's so out of touch nowadays with what people want. Yeah, the vast majority of Wii's games are kid friendly, yet it is by far the hottest selling console. No animal sacrifice stunts for them - they only used superior gameplay to sell their console.
- Mark, Atlanta, NY
This is unconscionable and should be criminal! Contributing to the delinquency of minors!
We give our tacit compliance to the food industry if we are not wholly vegetarian, but using horror and brutality to sell games to impressionable children is depraved and evil. Sony knew what was going on, the excuses they are giving now don't impress me.
How can Sony executives sleep at night? Can their wealth purge their guilty conscience when some disturbed youngster acts out choreographed violence from a game?
We are now reaping the "rewards" of a decade of video violence and there is much more to come over the years. And some of us naively keep asking why our crime headlines are getting gorier and gorier.
No more Sony gadgets in my house! It used to be my most trusted name for electronics, but no more! Easy enough to do though, as their electronic wares have been shoddy lately. But this is the last straw!
- Mariaca, Los Angeles, USA
