Dog Wars, a controversial new app for Android devices, pits virtual dogs against one another in simulated blood-fight scenarios.
The game requires the player to raise and train a digital dog that will fight against other players' dogs.
Real-world digfights are illegal in many countries around the world, including the Unites States.
Carter Luke, President of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center, issued a statement condemning the game. Luke said,
Although illegal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, dog fighting remains a pervasive problem in America and is investigated in Massachusetts by the MSPCA’s Law Enforcement department. Dog Wars is a sickening tool that can be used to recruit potential dogfighters about how to train future victims, perpetuate breed specific stereotypes, and undermine the many years of hard work that animal protection agencies, including the MSPCA-Angell, have contributed to ensure strong penalties against dog fighters and spectators.
Kage Games, the app's developer, has posted the following on the game's Android Market page:
1. It is just A VIDEO GAME
2. Perhaps one day we will make gerbil wars or beta fish wars for people who can't understand fantasy role play games
3. Just because something is illegal in real life in certain countries, does not mean it is illegal to make a song, movie, or video game about it (looking at you XDA Developer Forums... deleting our beta testing thread and banning our account?!)
4. Just go slingshot some virtual birds to kill some virtual pigs.
Kage also bills the app as "A GAME THAT WILL NEVER BE IN THE iPHONE APP STORE!!!," presumably because of Apple's stringent acceptance policies for the iTunes App Store.
While animal rights activists are speaking out against the game, Android Market customers have downloaded the app over 50,000 times and have given it a rating of four out of five stars.
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